Vietnam Flood Death Toll Rises to 161

Vietnam Flood Death Toll Rises to 161

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) - Authorities in Vietnam are setting up daycare centers in hopes of preventing more deaths from floods that have killed 161 people, including 139 children, relief officials said Tuesday.

Hit hard last year by the worst flooding in four decades, the low-lying Mekong Delta region - Vietnam's rice bowl - is struggling to deal with its second straight year of serious flooding.

More than 183,000 homes have been flooded in the six affected provinces, causing damage estimated at $32.7 million, said an official of the Central Flood and Storms Control Bureau. Last year's floods caused $280 million in damage.

Floodwaters have destroyed 1,695 houses and damaged another 8,200, the official said. More than 1,000 schools in the area have canceled classes for some 244,000 children, she said.

Relief officials said 142,300 families are in need of assistance, but so far, food has been distributed to only one sixth of that - about 23,000 families.

Vietnam is hit by flooding every year, but last year, early monsoon rains swelled the Mekong River to bursting point, killing nearly 500 people. The vast majority of victims were children under the age of 5 who had been left to fend for themselves while their parents went out to make a living.

This year, in an effort to reduce the number of child victims, authorities in the provinces of Dong Thap, An Giang and Can Tho have set up 510 daycare centers to look after 12,000 children.

Vietnam's Red Cross launched an appeal two weeks ago for $923,000 to aid flood victims. So far the Belarusian government has donated $10,000 and the Spanish Red Cross has provided $10,800.

The U.S. Embassy announced Tuesday that it has donated $25,000 for relief efforts. The money will go to American aid organizations working in An Giang and Dong Thap provinces. Part is expected to go toward the establishment of more childcare centers.

China is expected to announce its relief contribution this week, Red Cross officials said.

Officials from Dong Thap and An Giang, where 62 people and 55 people were reported dead respectively, said militia teams and volunteers have evacuated nearly 15,000 families to higher grounds.

Bui Dat Tram, director of the weather forecasting center in An Giang province, said the water level in the Mekong River has peaked and has begun receding slowly.

Tram said it could be another two months before floodwaters completely recede and farmers are able to begin planting a new crop.

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