HANOI (AFP) — The death toll in Vietnam hit 44 on Sunday with 25 people still missing after some of the worst flooding in a decade in the aftermath of Typhoon Lekima, authorities said.
The storm killed seven people when it pounded the country on Wednesday night but the death toll has continued to rise due to the floods, which has seen some river levels at all-time highs.
"These are the worst floods in the centre and northern centre of the country in more than 10 years, almost 20 years," said an official from the national flood and storm control committee.
In the Thanh Hoa region, two rivers -- the Ma and Buoi -- were at all-time recorded highs, 41 and 26 centimetres (16 and 10 inches) above their previous record levels.
The committee said 54,000 houses had been damaged.
Thousands of soldiers and police have been deployed to cope with the disaster, authorities said.
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