Thousands of people in Vietnam were evacuated from their homes after record rainfall of more than one metre in 24 hours submerged a central city, the environment ministry said Tuesday.

Three measuring stations in the city of Hue recorded rainfall from one metre to 1.7 metres (five feet seven inches) in a 24-hour period from Sunday to Monday, the ministry said in a statement.

The previous 24-hour rain record was 0.99 metres, set in Hue in 1999, it said.

Heavy rainfall has inundated Vietnam’s central coastal region since the weekend, closing schools and flooding the former imperial city of Hue, a UNESCO world heritage site.

More than 8,600 people in four central provinces were evacuated to schools and other public buildings since Saturday due to risks from severe flooding and landslides,

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