Vietnam flood toll rises to 22; more rain to come

HANOI (Reuters) - More heavy rain is forecast to strike mountainous northern Vietnam on Monday after floods and landslides last week killed 22 people and left 14 others missing, the government said.

Thirteen people died in Bac Kan province and another 10 were missing as their homes were buried in landslides triggered by heavy rains late last Friday, the government said in its updated disaster report.

Nine people have died in another five provinces and four remained unaccounted for, the report said, adding that more heavy rains were forecast to strike the region, one of Vietnam's most impoverished area.

Vietnam is often struck by floods and storms between July and October but the government has said 47 people were dead or missing from natural disasters in the first half of this year.

The flood-stricken area bordering China is far outside Vietnam's main growing region for its key commodities rice and coffee.

On the Chinese side, flooding and heavy rain have forced 550,000 people to evacuate their homes and killed at least 15, Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday.

(For more information on humanitarian crises and issues visit www.alertnet.org)