A total of 15 people were killed and six others are missing from heavy downpours and flooding in Vietnam's central region and the Central Highlands, the Department of Natural Disaster Prevention and Control said on Monday. 
According to the department on its website, among 13 central and Central Highlands localities affected in prolonged downpour, central Phu Yen province suffered the heaviest loss, with seven killed and one missing. 
Central Quang Binh had three deaths while Quang Tri and Binh Dinh provinces each lost two residents. The last victim was from Central Highlands' Dak Lak province, according to China's (Xinhua) News Agency. 
Heavy rain started last Monday and continued throughout the week, flooding nearly 41,000 houses across the two regions. Among submerged houses, as many as 223 houses were damaged by 50-70%, said the department. 
The agriculture sector was hit badly with about 12,000 hectares of rice and crop under water, while some 42,724 poultries and 440 cattle were drowned or washed away. 
Local authorities in Phu Yen asked the government to urgently send 1,100 tons of rice as aid relief for some 33,600 people affected by the flooding. 
The department warned the provinces to keep monitoring rain and flood forecast and be prepared to evacuate residents from areas prone to flash flooding and landslides.

Source: QNA