HANOI, Vietnam - Officials say the death toll from Tropical Storm Mirinae has risen to 57 in central Vietnam as authorities step up rescue and relief operations.

Dang Thi Lanh, disaster official in the hardest-hit province of Phu Yen, says 24 more deaths were reported in the province as information trickled in from isolated areas. An additional 18 people were reported missing.

Elsewhere in the region, the storm and its subsequent flooding left another 18 people dead and seven others missing, according to disaster officials and the government`s Web site.

Lanh says soldiers using speed boats continue to move people from their flooded homes and provide victims with instant noodles and water.

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Story Image: A man stands in front of a house destroyed by Tropical Storm Mirinae in Phu Yen Province, Vietnam. (Vietnam News Agency, The Lap)

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