Landslides and floods kill 21 in Vietnam

Floods and landslides due to heavy rain over the last three days have killed at least 21 people in northern Vietnam while two remain missing, dpa reported. Among the dead, 10 people were swept away and buried in a flash flood in the mountains of Sa Pa district in Lao Cai province on Wednesday night, the Central Steering Committee for Storm and Flood Control said in a report released Friday. Also in Lao Cai, two people were killed when a gold mine collapsed due to heavy rain on Thursday, the Committee said. Floods and landslides destroyed 64 houses, and inundated over 1,700 hectares of rice and other food crops. The committee warned heavy rains could continue over the next few days.