At least three people have died, and more than 10,000 were evacuated, in central Vietnam after catastrophic flooding, authorities said on Tuesday.

The three people were reported killed in Nghe An province after they drowned in flash floods.

Since Saturday, about 320 houses have sustained damages while more than 6,300 hectares of crops were destroyed, the ministry of agriculture said.

At least 40 school buildings in the area were also submerged in water, it added.

According to officials in Thanh Hoa province, more than 11,700 people had evacuated their homes and sought shelter in higher elevations in the past three days.

Authorities in the province issued warnings on Monday and ordered residents in flood-prone areas to evacuate their homes, according to national online newspaper VnExpress.

Vietnam suffers double whammy

Earlier this month, Typhoon Yagi hit Vietnam, leaving nearly 300 people dead and destroying property worth $1.6 billion (€1.4 billion).

However, before the country could recover from Yagi, it was hit by yet another intense storm last week, bringing torrential rainfall and causing the rivers to swell to dangerous levels.

Some homes on the outskirts of the capital, Hanoi, remain partially submerged more than two weeks after Yagi made landfall.

Vietnam is prone to floods but scientists say climate change leads to more extreme weather patterns.

mfi/wmr (AFP)