Vietnam: Devastating landslides hit army camp

Rescue teams in Vietnam raced against the clock on Sunday in search for a dozen men, after a series of landslides overwhelmed an army camp. 

Heavy rain has pounded over central Vietnam for more than a week, resulting in floods and landslides that have killed at least 64 people, according to the country’s disaster management authority. 

“From 2 a.m. until now, there have been four to five landslides, exploding like bombs, and it feels like the whole mountain is about to collapse,” local official Ha Ngoc Duong said, as reported by Vietnamese newspaper VnExpress, warning that the situation could worsen. 

The bodies of some 22 soldiers from the army camp were recovered early on Sunday morning, according to local media reports. Ongoing rain has hampered rescue efforts. Days before, 13 rescue team members died trying to reach a group of 30 employees of a hydropower plant that had been buried by the landslides. 

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jcg/rc (AFP, Reuters, dpa)