Crocodiles freed by flooding from Vietnamese farm

Powerful flooding in Vietnam freed crocodiles from a farm. Now military men and forest rangers are hunting them.

Photo: Crocodiles freed by flooding from Vietnamese farm

Authorities still do not know how many of the 5,000 crocodiles at the state-owned farm escaped after floodwaters knocked down part of the fence enclosing the tourist attraction Saturday, said Vo Lam Phi, governor of Khanh Hoa province.

Soldiers have shot and killed three of the animals and recaptured five others so far, while villagers have caught three more, Phi said. Crocodiles are farmed in Vietnam and other Asian countries for their skin and meat.

Powerful flooding in Vietnam freed crocodiles from a

The crocodiles had escaped into a stream that passes the farm and then joins a river flowing through several villages.

"We have warned the villagers to be careful and asked them to call the authorities if they spot any crocodiles," Phi said.

Heavy rains triggered the weekend flooding that killed nine people central Vietnam, disaster officials said.

Five rounds of flooding have hit the country's central region in the past month. Floods and typhoons have killed 202 people across central and northern Vietnam since early October.

Water levels in area rivers remain extremely high, and more rains were expected Monday, the national weather forecast center said.