¡¡¡¡HANOI, Aug. 5 (Xinhuanet) -- At least 10 people were killed in flash floods triggered by heavy downpours in Vietnam's northern provinces since July 31.

¡¡¡¡The deaths included four in Lao Cai province, two in Bac Can province, three in Tuyen Quang province and one in Lai Chau province, according to a preliminary report from Vietnam's CentralCommittee for Storm and Flood Control Monday.

¡¡¡¡The floods have also pulled down 300 houses, submerged 6,400 houses and more than 6,000 hectares of rice and subsidiary food crops, and damaged many safe water-supply and irrigation works, and road sections in these provinces.

¡¡¡¡Major rivers in the region, including the Red and Thai Binh rivers, are swelling to dangerous levels as a result of big flows from their upstreams. Water levels of the Red river were registered at about 11.50 meters to reach the highest red alert inHanoi. On the Thai Binh River, the water reached 5.8 meters, exceeding the third warning level by 30 cm.

¡¡¡¡The storm control authorities are on high alert, monitoring weather conditions and preparing for the worst-case scenario. Theyhave been instructed to prevent the loss of life and property, andto reinforce the dyke network.

¡¡¡¡The National Centre for Hydro-Meteorology predicts that anothertropical storm, presently located in the East Sea 170 km southeastof Hong Kong, will strike the northern provinces within the next few days.

¡¡¡¡Winds in the center of the storm are between 62 km per hour and88 km per hour, and the system is moving northwest at 15 km per hour, the centre said.

¡¡¡¡Meanwhile, the central coast and highlands of the country are suffering from a prolonged drought and high temperatures, putting 1.5 million people at risk of water shortages. Enditem

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