The death toll from severe flooding in central Vietnam has climbed to 72, authorities reported on Saturday afternoon, as the region begins an arduous recovery from one of the worst natural disasters to hit the area in recent years.

The latest figures mark a significant increase of 17 fatalities since the morning report, highlighting the scale and severity of the flooding that began on November 16. The Central Highlands province of Dak Lak remains the epicenter of the tragedy, accounting for 44 of the confirmed deaths. The popular coastal province of Khanh Hoa, which includes the tourist city of Nha Trang, has reported 14 fatalities. Neighboring provinces Lam Dong and Gia Lai have each recorded five deaths, while the cities of Hue and Da Nang reported two each. The search for 13 missing individuals, including eight in Dak Lak, continues.

While floodwaters have begun to recede following a respite in rainfall over the past two days, several communes in Dak Lak remain severely inundated, isolating hundreds of families. The disaster submerged approximately 150,000 homes at its peak, causing massive disruption to essential services. Power outages affected around 1.2 million households, and as of Saturday afternoon, roughly 257,000 homes were still without electricity, leading to widespread mobile and internet outages.

Critical transport links remain severed, with landslides continuing to block sections of the National Highways 4E, 27C, 20, and 28. Rail services through the affected regions are also suspended indefinitely.

Preliminary damage estimates have reached nearly VND9 trillion (US$341.5 million). The Department of Dyke Management and Natural Disaster Prevention has issued an urgent call for aid, stating that the hardest-hit provinces of Dak Lak and Gia Lai each require 2,000 tonnes of emergency food supplies, alongside critical shipments of medicine and chemicals for post-flood sanitation and cleanup operations. (ILKHA)