Havana, August 5 (RHC)-- Cuban President Raul Castro has expressed to the Vietnamese people and leadership his deepest sympathies for the human victims and material damage caused by intense rains in the northern province of Quanh Ninh.

The Cuban head of state sent his message of condolences on behalf of the Cuban government and people to the General Secretary of Vietnam´s Communist Party Nguyen Phu Trong, President Truong Tan Sang, and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

On Tuesday, President Tan Sang toured the affected areas on the coastal territory, devastated by the 10-day-long heavy rains and unprecedented floods.

Thousands of homes were affected by the floods, while four thousand hectares of cultivated land and another twelve hundred dedicated to aquiculture were totally destroyed. Estimates say losses amount to nearly 124 million dollars.

Heavy rains are still hitting Quang Ninh's coastal areas, as authorities carry out massive evacuations of residents. Experts have warned about possible landslides and flash floods in nine provinces.