Drone saves man from capsized boat amid severe flooding in central Vietnam

Authorities in Ea O Commune said heavy rain on Thursday afternoon caused rapid flooding and strong currents across the river section running through the highland commune.

Pham Van Truong, 44, and Ha Van Anh, 45, both from Thanh Son Hamlet in the province’s Vu Bon Commune, took a small boat onto the river to catch fish.

The boat overturned soon after due to turbulent water.

Relatives were unable to contact the men later in the evening and reported them missing at about 10:00 pm.

Police and local residents immediately launched a night-time search effort despite dangerous conditions.

By Friday morning, rescuers discovered Truong was stranded near the C7 Bridge area in Ea O.

A drone was deployed to pinpoint his exact location before a dramatic rescue operation was conducted.

Truong was brought safely ashore and transferred to the Ea O Commune medical station for monitoring.

Meanwhile, Anh remains missing. Search and rescue teams are continuing operations despite high water levels and strong currents across the area.

Dak Lak and several Central Highlands and south-central provinces have been battered by heavy downpours, widespread flooding, and landslides these days.

As of 6:00 am on Saturday, these natural hazards have killed 55 people (including 27 in Dak Lak) and left 13 others missing (including eight in Dak Lak).

A report from the Vietnam Disaster and Dyke Management Authority also said 946 homes were destroyed while over 28,400 others were underwater.

More than 377,000 households lost electricity during the flooding.

Torrential rainfall and flooding also wreaked havoc on nearly 80,000 hectares of rice, vegetables, and other short-term crops, along with 100,000 hectares of perennial plants.

Over 3.2 million livestock and poultry were killed or swept away.

Preliminary estimates place economic losses at more than VND8.98 trillion (US$340 million).