Floods and landslides caused by torrential rains in northern Vietnam have killed at least 26 people and left 27 injured.

The government’s disaster agency said 15 people are still missing and rescue mission has been hampered due to damage by floods and landslides.

The start of August saw the widespread damage in provinces of Dien Bien, Yen Bai, Son La, Cao Bang and Lai Chau caused by flash floods.

It has been learned that at least 650 homes are destroyed and 400 more are affected. It costs at least $41 million, the disaster agency said.

One of Yen Bai province said, their villages have been washed away by the floods on Thursday night.

Local media ran such picture showing the villages swamped by mud. Not only the villages but also hundreds of hectares of crops lost and roads broken.

Last year saw around 235 people dead and missing due to the flooding in Vietnam. An estimation of the losses was at $1.7 billion according to the authorities.