Heavy rains brought by Storm Etau over the past three days have caused landslides and severe flooding in central provinces, disrupting traffic and badly affecting people's lives. 

In Quang Ngai, landslides have unleashed massive amounts of mud and rock at Ra Pan village in Son Tay District since Wednesday.

Do Thanh Vuot, a local official, said people heard loud explosions from cracks in mountainsides at 1 a.m. Wednesday.

Etau, which made landfall Tuesday morning and weakened into a tropical depression, has brought prolonged rains to Quang Ngai and other provinces.

Two men on motorbikes were buried under mud and rocks on Truong Son Dong Street before being rescued.

Authorities in Son Tay District have reported landslides in six areas that set off nearly 10,000 cubic meters of soil and rock, disrupting traffic there. Local authorities earlier ordered the evacuation of 900 families living in high-risk areas.

Many streets in Quy Nhon, the capital of Binh Dinh, are under water following the rains, and many residential areas are cut off. Storm Etau claimed one life in the province.

Some streets in Quy Nhon, a popular beach resort town, are submerged under a meter of water.

Nguyen Van Dung, a local man, said: "From Tuesday night the floodwaters rose quickly and flooded streets. My house was also inundated."

Water inside a factory belonging to Duong Thanh Hung in Quy Nhon.

"My factory has never been flooded like this before," Hung said.

Since roads are flooded, some people have resorted to driving their motorbikes on railroad tracks.

Ngo Hoang Nam, chairman of Quy Nhon Town, said around 500 houses remained submerged as of Wednesday.

In Phu Yen, residents in Tuy An District joined hands with police forces to clean up mud. Many areas in the district were also submerged under three meters of water, forcing residents to avoid the flood overnight.

With the floodwaters receding, Le Thi Suong returns home to check the situation.

The widow's two sons have moved to HCMC, and she lives by herself in a small house in Tuy An District.

On Tuesday morning, when the floodwaters rose quickly, she had no time to recuse her belongings.

Sen Market in Tuy An remained flooded on Wednesday afternoon. Shopkeepers have moved their goods to other places.

An Dinh Primary School has turned into a river.

Soldiers use canoes to evacuate people living in low-lying areas in Tuy An District.

Ninh Hoa Town in Khanh Hoa Province, home to the famous beach resort town of Nha Trang, remains submerged.

 The 12th storm to hit Vietnam this year, Etau brought heavy rains to provinces such as Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, and Khanh Hoa. At least two people have been killed in Quang Nam and Binh Dinh.

 Since October the region has been hit by torrential rains, widespread flooding and landslides caused by one storm after another. At least 235 people have been killed or are missing and thousands of houses have been flooded with the government saying the damage has been the worst in decades.