HANOI, VIETNAM: Flash floods triggered by heavy rains have killed seven people and left 27 others missing in northern Vietnam.

Disaster official Luong Tuan Anh said Thursday two people died and 13 are missing in the worst hit province of Yen Bai. Some 900 government forces have been mobilised to search for the missing.

The other casualties were reported in the neighboring provinces of Son La and Lai Chau.

A government delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung is in the area to direct relief efforts.

Vietnam is prone to floods and storms, which kill hundreds of people each year.