Vietnam storm toll reaches 16

SEVERAL days of heavy rain and storms have left at least 16 people dead in northern Vietnam, including 12 who were struck by lightning while working in rice fields, authorities say.

One Chinese worker was swept away in northern mountainous Ha Giang province, said the national flood and storm control committee.

Four more people are missing and a total of 63 people have been injured since the storms began on Wednesday, although rains have now eased and water levels have started to recede. Hundreds of homes have been damaged.

Vietnam’s flood and storm season, which can last until late October, claims hundreds of lives every year and causes huge material losses.