HANOI, April 16 (Xinhua) -- Heavy downpours with hail starting Wednesday night left four people injured in Vietnam's northern province of Lao Cai and caused losses of over 30 billion Vietnamese dong (about 1.2 million U.S. dollars), local daily Voice of Vietnam reported Thursday.
The injured were workers sleeping in temporary shelters and were taken to a local medical center for emergency treatment.
A total of 338 houses across the province were affected by the severe weather, including 333 partially damaged and five with roofs blown off, according to the Vietnam Disaster and Dyke Management Authority.
The agricultural sector also suffered significant losses, with 485.5 hectares of crops damaged.
Thunderstorms, whirlwinds, lightning and strong gusty winds are forecast to persist, prompting local authorities to step up monitoring and prepare response plans, the report said. ■
