Hanoi, June 13 -- Wutip, the first storm in the East Sea so far this year, has wreaked havoc across central Vietnam, claiming lives, displacing residents, and causing widespread damage to houses, crops, and infrastructure, the Department of Dyke Management and Disaster Prevention and Control reported as of 6:30 pm on June 13.

Floods have already claimed two lives in Quang Tri province and left four others missing in Quang Binh province. Floodwaters turned 3,575 homes into swamps, with Quang Tri bearing the brunt - 2,770 houses underwater. Quang Nam province saw 725 homes flooded, while Da Nang City had 80. Another 28 houses were wrecked or lost their roofs, including 27 in Ha Tinh and one in Quang Tri.

The agricultural toll was severe, ...