HANOI, May 19, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - A landslide following flash floods in a mountainous area of northern Vietnam has killed four people, the government said on Monday, as forecasters warned of further downpours.

The landslide occurred early Sunday in Ba Be district of Bac Kan province following torrential rain on Saturday.

"A very big (noise, like an) explosion was heard from the top of the mountain. Then soil, rock and water poured down from the mountain," a statement on the government's website quoted local official Tieu Xuan Tai as saying.

Tai said local residents had been aware of a two-metre-wide (six-feet-wide) crack on the top of the mountain that appeared several years ago.

Provincial authorities have issued warnings to the public, and called for immediate safety checks for communities along streams, rivers and other areas vulnerable to landslides.

Residents must be immediately evacuated if they are at risk, authorities said.

Forecasters said rain in the area had been higher than normal so far this month and further heavy downpours were expected in northern and central areas.

Vietnam is prone to tropical storms, which often cause deadly flash floods and landslides, but they usually hit the country between June and November.

Experts say human-driven climate change is causing more intense weather patterns that can make destructive floods more likely.

Last year, 514 people died in Vietnam due to natural disasters, three times more than in 2023, the agriculture ministry said.

In September, northern Vietnam was devastated by Typhoon Yagi, which claimed 345 lives and caused an estimated economic loss of $3.3 billion.