Floods Kill Eleven in Vietnam, Delays Coffee Harvest
Date: 15-Dec-05
Country: VIETNAM
"Rains have been falling for the past two weeks and we expect more in the coming days," said a weather forecaster in Buon Ma Thuot, capital of the top coffee-growing province of Daklak in the Central Highlands, Vietnam's coffee belt.
The national weather centre said it expected up to 400 mm (15.75 inches) of torrential rain and flash floods this week in central region from Quang Nam province to Ninh Thuan province.
The Vietnam News Agency said at least 11 people were killed by flash floods and landslides in the central coastal provinces of Khanh Hoa and Quang Ngai.
Coffee traders in Daklak told Reuters the rains, which usually diminish in mid-November, made it difficult for growers to dry out newly picked coffee but had done no further damage to the crop.
