Correction Appended
Days of the heaviest rain Vietnam has seen in decades left more than 44,000 people dead and 100,000 homes under water, according to the International Research Information Network.
"This heavy rain is the worst in Hanoi since 1984," Duong Lien Chau, deputy director of the Central Hydro-Meteorological Forecast Center, told IRIN.
"In some areas, this is the heaviest rainfall in more than 100 years," he said.
Since it is not typhoon season in the area, the rain fell without forecast, IRIN reported. The water in some areas reached over two feet in just three days.
Hanoi, which does not have a systematic rescue plan, is still attempting to evacuate survivors.
-M.M.
In the international brief "Hanoi surprise floods kill thousands," The Eagle incorrectly reported that floods in Vietnam had killed 44,000 people. The flooding actually killed approximately 92 people.
