Vietnam storms kill 10, seven struck by lightning

HANOI (AFP) – At least 10 people have been killed, seven of them struck by lightning, during several days of storms and heavy rain in northern Vietnam, according to the disaster authorities.

Those killed by lightning were hit as they worked in rice fields, while flash floods on Wednesday swept away at least one more person. Three people were missing, said the national flood and storm control committee in Hanoi.

A further two were killed and 60 were injured when a whirlwind hit the northern port city of Haiphong on Thursday night, damaging almost 1,000 houses.

Authorities have warned people of the danger of landslides in mountainous areas, with parts of the north receiving up to 200 millimetres (almost eight inches) of rain since Wednesday.

Vietnam's flood and storm season, which can last until late October, claims hundreds of lives every year.