Hanoi, Oct 19

At least 19 people were killed by storm Nari which hit Vietnam's central region earlier this week, Xinhua quoted the Central Committee for Flood and Storm Control as saying Saturday.

The disaster left three people missing and 116 injured. As many as 603 houses collapsed, while 98,000 houses were inundated. 

The storm also destroyed over 16,000 hectares of rice fields and other crops and affected some 5,000 hectares of forests. The storm and its aftermath have caused a loss of about $50 million, said the committee.

Authorities have mobilised armed forces to help local people overcome the consequences of the storm, 11th to hit Vietnam so far this year.

Storm Nari made landfall in Vietnam's central coastal provinces Monday night with the storm's eye hitting Da Nang city.

By:IANS