150 dead, missing in Vietnam's natural disasters since October

The latest figure, up from 148 reported on Sunday, included 130 deaths, mainly recorded in the provinces of Quang Tri, Thua Thien Hue and Quang Binh.

Nearly 9,300 hectares of crops were submerged or damaged by the floods, said the committee, adding that some 934,800 cattle and poultry animals were killed or swept away in flood water.

The committee also forecasted that typhoon Molave, the ninth of its kind to hit the country this year, will affect eight central provinces.

It will bring heavy rains, causing inundation, and flash floods and landslides in mountainous areas.

It said typhoon Molave might be as strong as typhoon Damrey in 2017, which left 123 people dead and missing while causing economic losses worth over 22 trillion Vietnamese dong (some 956.5 million U.S. dollars).

Speaking at an online meeting on responding to Molave with central provinces and cities on Monday, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said relevant localities must remain proactive and vigilant in their work, Vietnam News Agency reported.

He also urged relevant authorities to postpone unnecessary meetings to focus on disaster prevention and control measures.

Meanwhile, the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control requested relevant authorities and localities to stand ready for personnel evacuation, including making arrangements for closing schools, and preparing food and other basic supplies as heavy rains, floods or inundations may last a few days.