HANOI, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- Floods, which have hit Vietnam's central region since Oct. 29, have killed 60 local people and left 10 others missing, according to the Central Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Prevention on Tuesday.

    Of the total fatalities, 13 were reported in Phu Yen province, 11 in Thua Thien Hue province, 10 in the provinces of Binh Dinh and Quang Ngai each, and nine in Quang Nam province.

    To minimize human losses, nearly 80,700 people have been evacuated from the flooded localities, said the committee.

    The Central Hydrometeorology Forecast Center said a new wave of floods could hit the region in the next two to three days, because typhoon Peipah with wind speed of 103-117 kilometers per hour is forecast to hit the region and cause torrential rain.

    Natural disasters, including typhoons and hails, killed 339 people, left 274 people missing, and injured 2,065 others in Vietnam in 2006. The estimated losses totaled 18.6 trillion Vietnamese dong (nearly 1.2 billion U.S. dollars) in the year.