Dozens of gold miners were killed in landslides triggered by flash flooding, a newspaper reported Monday.
The flooding came in the wake of Typhoon Fritz, which last week swept past the country's coast near the central city of Danang, the Communist Party newspaper, The People, reported.At least 25 people were killed and dozens more were still missing Monday after a weekend of torrential rains.
Most of the victims were prospectors illegally mining for gold, the newspaper reported. Hundreds of people from neighboring provinces have moved to Quang Nam in the hope of tapping into that region's gold rush.
Many of the miners were buried when several poorly supported tunnels collapsed under the weight of landslides and heavy rain, local officials were quoted as saying.
Police said 10 fishing boats also sank in the storm. The fate of the fishermen was not known.
Winds of at least 62 mph pounded Quang Nam, about 18 miles south of Danang. Hundreds of homes were damaged or destroyed along with several schools, reports said.
Workers spent much of the weekend trying to restore electricity to Danang.