Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on November 20 evening issued another urgent dispatch ordering authorities to step up rescue and relief efforts as severe flooding continues to ravage the central region.

Floods triggered by torrential rains and landslides from November 16 night have battered the central region, leaving at least 14 people dead or missing, according to the Viet Nam Disaster and Dyke Management Authority under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.