Flood in China-Vietnam border river kills man

By Minh Cuong   May 26, 2019 | 07:56 pm PT
Flood in China-Vietnam border river kills man
A section of the Ka Long River, which flows from China to Vietnam's Quang Ninh Province, is flooded on May 26, 2019. Photo by VnExpress/Huu Viet
A man was swept away by floods in the Ka Long River in northern Vietnam on Sunday, with China's dam discharge a suspected cause.

Tran Viet, 21, of Mong Cai Town in Quang Ninh Province, was rowing a boat on the river when the tragedy occurred.

Besides heavy rains since late Saturday, unannounced dam discharge in China was also a cause of the floods, local residents said.

The flooding destroyed dozens of cargo boats in the river and submerged many streets in Mong Cai.

Hundreds of houses in the downtown area are under 30-50 centimeters (12-20 inches) of water and residents and authorities are grappling with the disaster.

Tuoi Tre newspaper quoted a top Mong Cai official also as saying China’s surprise dam discharge could be the reason for the heavy flooding.

Normally Chinese authorities inform Quang Ninh prior to discharging water into the Ka Long River, but it is possible that the heavy rains over the weekend quickly flooded the upper section of the river and did not give them enough time to make an announcement, he said.

 
 
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