Heavy rain triggers landslides and floods in central Vietnam, killing 7

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Heavy rain swept central Vietnam on Monday, triggering landslides and floods, killing at least seven, injuring dozens and stranding thousands.

The deluges have wreaked widespread destruction across a region already battered weeks ago by floods from record rainfall and the powerful typhoon Kalmaegi.

Rainfall through Wednesday is expected to reach 30–60 centimeters (12–24 inches) in parts of central Vietnam, with some areas likely to exceed 85 centimeters (33 inches).

The hard-hit province of Khanh Hoa, a coastal region with hilly inland terrain, recorded one of its heaviest rainfall in years on Sunday night when earth and rocks collapsed on a bus traveling through the Khanh Le pass in the central highlands, state media reported.

The landslide crushed the front of the bus at around 9.30 p.m. local time, killing six people and trapping many passengers. Rescuers struggled for hours to reach the scene as heavy rain had also caused landslides on both sides of the pass, cutting off access. Rescue teams were only able to reach the bus after midnight, according to state media.

“Rocks and soil fell down with a loud bang. I was thrown on the roof of the bus before falling down," Nguyen Long Cuong, the 39-year-old bus conductor, told state media VN Express.

The bus was carrying 32 people from Vietnam’s financial capital, Ho Chi Minh City and was traveling from Da Lat in Vietnam’s central highlands to the coastal city of Nha Trang. The injured were taken to a nearby hospital. State media said two of the dead bodies were still trapped under the debris as the treacherous terrain hindered the work

The winding, 33-kilometer (20-mile) stretch carved into steep mountainsides is scenic and popular with tourists but prone to landslides in the rainy season.

The rains have triggered multiple landslides on major routes in Vietnam’s Central Highlands and traffic on several hilly passes has been suspended, state media said.

Also in Khanh Hoa, waterlogged soil collapsed on 10 workers at the Khanh Son pass on Sunday night, killing one and injuring another, while another remained missing, state media said. The seven others were able to flee to safety.

Flooding also hit the port city Cam Ranh and the coastal district of Cam Lam Sunday night, submerging more than 100 metres (328 ft) of railway lines under water and debris. Over 800 passengers on four trains were still stranded on Monday evening.

Flood waters inundated the Du Long Industrial Park on Monday, which houses several factories, including German and South Korean companies. Rains submerged factories by 1 meter (3.2 feet) of water and forced the power cuts, forcing thousands of workers to halt operations.

Torrential rain also flooded a national highway in the province of Dak Lak, prompting police to block the road and redirect traffic.

In the city of Hue, floods triggered landslides on Sunday in mountainous areas, blocking a major highway that runs from northern to southern Vietnam and cutting off several villages, isolating thousands, while in Quang Ngai province, rainfall of 150 to 235 mm (5.9–9.3 inches) collapsed a bridge over a stream, stranding 1,200 residents in remote hamlets.

On Sunday night, a tornado tore through the southern areas of Danang city and Quang Ngai province, ripping roofs from dozens of houses, uprooting trees and scattering debris.

Vietnam is among the world’s most flood-prone countries, with nearly half its population living in high-risk areas. Scientists warn that a warming climate is intensifying storms and rainfall across Southeast Asia, making floods and landslides increasingly destructive and frequent.

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Landslides block the road on Khanh Le pass, near the location where a passenger bus was buried by a fatal landslide in Khanh Hoa, Vietnam, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025. (Bui Toan/VNExpress via AP)

A passenger bus is crushed by a fatal landslide on Khanh Le pass in Khanh Hoa province, Vietnam, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025. (Minh Bang/VNExpress via AP)

A passenger bus is crushed by a fatal landslide on Khanh Le pass in Khanh Hoa province, Vietnam, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025. (Minh Bang/VNExpress via AP)

Landslides block the road on Khanh Le pass, near the location where a passenger bus was buried by a landslide in Khanh Hoa, Vietnam, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025. (Dang Tuan/VNA via AP)

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong voters are casting ballots Sunday in their second legislative election since a 2021 overhaul of the system eliminated the pro-democracy opposition in the Chinese territory.

The poll, coming less than two weeks after an apartment fire that killed at least 159 people, is a possible test of public sentiment about the government's handling of the tragedy.

The focus is on voter turnout, which fell to about 30% in the last election in 2021, after the overhaul dampened interest. Some analysts believe mounting public anger over government accountability in the blaze could suppress turnout further.

City leader John Lee has called on citizens to vote, saying Friday it would send a signal on promoting reforms. He said he would put forth a proposal to the new legislature on how to support the victims, many who have been left homeless by the fire.

The polls close at 11:30 p.m.

Election campaigning was suspended after the fire and remained subdued in the final days out of respect for the victims.

Government efforts to drive up turnout — seen as a referendum on the new electoral system — had been in full swing before the blaze.

Officials held candidate forums, extended voting by two hours, added polling stations and offered subsidies to older people and centers for people with disabilities to help their clients vote, along with hanging promotional banners and posters throughout the city.

Authorities arrested people who allegedly posted content that incited others not to vote or cast invalid votes.

Hong Kong's deadliest fire in decades has raised questions over government oversight and suspected bid-rigging in building maintenance projects. The 1980s-era apartment complex was undergoing renovations.

Lee said last week that going ahead with the election, rather than delaying it, would better support the response to the fire.

"They have all experienced this fire and shared the pain,” he said of the city's Legislative Council. “They will certainly work with the government to promote reforms, diligently review funding, and draft relevant laws.”

Many of the city's 4.1 million eligible voters, especially democracy supporters, have turned away from politics since a crackdown that followed massive anti-government protests in 2019.

Even before the 2021 electoral changes, only half of what had been a 70-member legislature was chosen by the general electorate.

Now, that has been reduced to 20 out of 90 seats. Another 40 are chosen by a largely pro-Beijing election committee. The remaining 30 represent various groups — mainly major industries such as finance, health care and real estate — and are elected by their members.

Candidates are vetted to ensure they are patriots loyal to the central government in Beijing.

The candidate pool seems to reflect Beijing's desire to have more lawmakers who are more in tune with its agenda, some observers said, in what they see as signs of Beijing’s tightening control even over its loyalists.

Lee has said that personnel changes are normal during an election. He criticized attempts to “distort” these changes to smear the new election system.

A fall in turnout would show that even some government supporters are staying away, said John Burns, an honorary professor of politics and public administration at the University of Hong Kong.

Some might want to show support for the government's response to the fire, but others might have reservations because of the high death toll and reports of systemic problems in the building maintenance industry.

“It is a reflection of public sentiment,” he said.

Moritsugu reported from Beijing. Associated Press writer Chan Ho-him in Hong Kong contributed to this report.

People walk past a polling station near the site of the fire at Wang Fuk Court in the Tai Po district during the Legislative Council General Election in Hong Kong on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

Hong Kong's Chief Executive, John Lee casts his ballot at a polling station during the Legislative Council General Election in Hong Kong on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

People read the candidates information at a polling station near the site of the fire at Wang Fuk Court in the Tai Po district during the Legislative Council General Election in Hong Kong on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

Hong Kong's Chief Executive John Lee, poses for photos at a polling station during the Legislative Council General Election in Hong Kong on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

Hong Kong's Chief Executive John Lee speaks to the media at a polling station during the Legislative Council General Election in Hong Kong on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

Hong Kong's Chief Executive John Lee casts his ballot at a polling station during the Legislative Council General Election in Hong Kong on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

People look at a candidate brochure of the Hong Kong Legislative Council General Election at a forum in Hong Kong on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

Pedestrians walk past the banner promoting the Hong Kong Legislative Council General Election in Hong Kong on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)