2 dead, 5 missing in flash flood in Vietnam

Flash flooding triggered by torrential rain kills two people and sweeps five others away in northern Vietnam.

Flash flooding triggered by torrential rain killed two people and swept five others away in northern Vietnam, a government official said on Tuesday.

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The floodwaters engulfed seven workers as they slept at Suoi Ngoi Duong hydroelectric plant in Lao Cai province, said Thao A Tua, a provincial disaster official.

Two bodies were recovered and authorities were searching for the other five workers, Tua said.

Lao Cai is 320 kilometers (200 miles) northwest of Hanoi. Last year, natural disasters in Vietnam killed at least 500 people, injured nearly 3,000, and caused nearly $1.17 billion in damage.