HANOI: Six people have been killed in severe flooding sweeping central Vietnam, local officials said yesterday, amid concerns that the inundations could continue to worsen.
Authorities have evacuated some 20,000 people as heavy rains pummelled the country from Quang Tri to Ninh Thuan coastal provinces since Tuesday, according to a regional natural disaster committee. He said three people remain missing in the region.
Several parts of the former imperial city of Hue, a World Heritage site, were under up to 70cm (27 inches) of water.
Three children saved from fire
SINGAPORE: Three children were rescued from a toilet in the master bedroom of their flat when a fire broke out in the unit yesterday afternoon. The children, two boys and a girl, were alone at home. The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they were alerted at 12:25pm. Firefighters made a forced entry into the 7th floor unit at Block 356C Admiralty Drive. SCDF said the fire was raging and involved the contents of the living room and kitchen. The unit was heavily smoked logged.
The children, aged between 8 and 12, were conscious when they were sent to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital for further medical examination.
Death for former banker, partner
HANOI: A Vietnamese former banker and his business associate have been sentenced to death for embezzling $25m by a court in Ho Chi Minh City, state media said yesterday.
Vu Quoc Hao, 58, the one-time chief of a finance subsidiary of state-owned giant Vietnam Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Agribank) and construction firm boss Dang Van Hai, 56, were sentenced to death on Friday, according to state television. The group was accused of embezzling more than $25m of state money between April 2008 and March 2009 by falsifying financial leasing contracts.
Agencies
