Floods Claim 380 Lives Since August

Floods in central Vietnam and the southern Mekong Delta have killed 380 people, including at least 260 children, since August, officials said.

The seasonal floods have caused an estimated $85 million in damage, according to disaster officials. Water levels in the delta are expected to remain high until the end of November.

Many of the drowned children had been left unattended at home while their parents risked high waters to go to work. Authorities have opened 842 temporary day-care centers in four delta provinces to take care of nearly 20,000 children.

Central Vietnam and the southern Mekong Delta are hit by floods or typhoons almost every year.