HANOI: The death toll from a week of record-breaking rainfall and flooding in central Vietnam has risen to 40, authorities said Tuesday, as another powerful storm, Typhoon Kalmaegi, threatens the already battered region.

The central provinces of Vietnam have been deluged by torrential rains, turning streets into canals, causing riverbanks to burst, and submerging some of the country’s most-visited historic sites. In one 24-hour period, rainfall reached 1.7 meters, breaking national records.

The fatalities occurred in Hue, Da Nang, Lam Dong, and Quang Tri provinces, according to the Ministry of Environment’s Disaster Management Agency, which also reported six people remain missing.

Meteorologists warned that Typhoon Kalmaegi is expected to make landfall in the early hours of Friday, with winds of up to 166 km/h, potentially worsening the flooding and damage.

Vietnam typically experiences heavy rains between June and September, but scientists warn that human-driven climate change is making extreme weather events more frequent and destructive.

In 2025, Kalmaegi is expected to be the 13th typhoon or tropical storm to impact Vietnam, either directly or offshore.

The storm has already hit the Philippines, claiming at least two lives and displacing hundreds of thousands of people.

Nearly 80,000 homes remain flooded, over 10,000 hectares of crops have been destroyed, and more than 68,000 cattle have perished.

Many remote areas remain cut off due to landslides, and local authorities are struggling to reach isolated communities.

Authorities are urging residents to stay alert and take precautions as the next wave of severe weather approaches the region.