One of the people killed was a woman named Nguyen Thi Nga, 45, a resident of Tam Lanh Commune, Phu Ninh District, Quang Nam Province.

Her house was hit by a landslide triggered by heavy rains. Local authorities sent rescue forces soon after it happened, but she had died by the time they reached her.

In Binh Dinh Province, Truong Van Liem, 57, died after falling from the roof of his house while he was reinforcing it against the storm.

The 12th storm to hit Vietnam this year, Etau, which made landfall Tuesday morning and weakened into a tropical depression, has damaged 31 houses and flooded a section of the north-south railway in Khanh Hoa Province, home to the beach resort town of Nha Trang. A train was forced to halt its journey, the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control said.

Heavy rains brought by the storm also submerged a section of National Highway 19C in Xuan Long Commune of Phu Yen Province’s Dong Xuan District under almost one meter of water. Rough seas off Khanh Hoa sank a fishing vessel, but all crew members had taken shelter on land.

Weather experts have said that provinces from Quang Tri to Khanh Hoa and the Central Highlands will experience rainfall of up to 250 mm on Wednesday and Thursday. Rainfall of 180 mm a day is considered heavy.

Etau is the second storm to hit Vietnam in November. The previous month, the central region lost 159 people to four storms and one tropical depression as they triggered three waves of flooding and at least 13 landslides. Seventy-one people are still listed as missing.

Another storm, Vamco, is heading towards the East Sea, which is also known as the South China Sea. It is expected to enter the East Sea on Thursday with wind speeds of 118-133 kph.