Hundreds dead in Vietnam floods

Officials in Vietnam's Mekong Delta say that storms and flooding have killed at least 305 people in recent weeks - most of them children.

A newspaper, Than Nien, said that the floodwaters had inundated the homes of more than 1.5-million people.

Damage estimates are already in the millions of dollars.

New flash floods have also affected central Vietnamese provinces, leaving stretches of the main north-to-south highway under water and stranding thousands of vehicles.

Weather forecasters say the floodwaters will remain at high levels until late November, preventing farmers from sowing new crops.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service