Raul Sends Message of Condolences to Vietnam

HAVANA, Cuba, Aug 5 (acn) Army General, Raul Castro, President of the Cuban councils of State and Ministers, sent a message of condolences to Vietnam for the deaths caused in that country -17 so far- by the heavy rains that occurred in the northern province of Quanh Ninh, the Prensa Latina news agency informed on August 5.

In a message sent to the General Secretary of the Communist Party, Nguyen Phu Trong; the President of the Republic, Truong Tan Sang; and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, he adds: on behalf of the Cuban government and people, I extend my condolences to the families of the deceased and to the victims, points out the source from Hanoi.
On Tuesday, Tan Sang toured affected areas of the coastal territory, where he assessed the damage caused by 10 days of torrential rains and floods, unprecedented in 40 years, and gave instructions for recovery.
The unusual phenomenon impacted on coal mines, one of the main reserves of the country, forcing about 30,000 workers to stop their work. Only in this province 339 houses were destroyed, and 9,000 were covered by water, while 4,000 hectares of crops and 1,200 aquiculture hectares were ruined. The same happened with seven kilometers of the roads, and according to preliminary estimates total material losses amount to almost 124 million dollars.
The coastal area of Quang Ninh is still hit by heavy rains, with records of 100 millimeters in Haiphon and several districts, and authorities have evacuated residents in risk to protected shelters.
According to experts, there are high possibilities of landslides and flash floods in nine Northern provinces, which together increased the number of deaths to 25; 3,500 damaged houses, and 8,800 hectares of rice fields and 10,900 meters of channels ruined.