HANOI, Nov. 27 (Xinhua) -- Rainfall and flooding in Vietnam's south-central region from Nov. 16 to 22 were an extreme event surpassing historical records, local daily Voice of Vietnam reported Thursday, citing the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.
Mai Van Khiem, the center's director, said such events have almost never been observed in more than 50 years.
From the beginning of the year to Nov. 24, Vietnam recorded 19 typhoons and tropical depressions, resulting in 409 people dead or missing and 727 injuries.
More than 3,700 houses collapsed or were swept away, while over 333,500 others were damaged or lost their roofs.
Economic losses were estimated at over 85 trillion Vietnamese dong (about 3.2 billion U.S. dollars), the report said. ■
