The death toll from Tropical Storm Mirinae rose to 99 in central Vietnam on Thursday and authorities estimated damage from the storm at $55 million. In the hardest-hit province Phu Yen, three districts that are home to 300,000 people remained inundated, said Nguyen Ba Loc, deputy chairman of the provincial People's Committee. Some areas of the province suffered their most severe flooding ever and many families lost their homes, he said. Some 24,000 people continued to take shelter at government buildings. Military helicopters continued to drop instant noodles and water to victims in the isolated areas, he said, and soldiers in speed boats also contributed to the relief efforts. The death toll in Phu Yen reached 69 on Thursday, and 16 residents were still missing, he said. Fourteen people died in the neighboring province of Binh Dinh and two were missing, said disaster official Phan Ke Hung. Binh Dinh residents began returning to their homes Thursday as flood waters continued receding. Elsewhere in the region, Mirinae left 16 people dead and one missing, according to the government's Web site. Continued... |