Torrential rains have flooded central Vietnam, killing at least 17 people since last week, as the region braces for more heavy rainfall, state media reported Monday.

According to weather forecasters, water levels will keep rising, swelling rivers and submerging more communities in the region, the state-owned Tuoi Tre newspaper reported.

The situation worsened over the weekend when Tropical Storm Linfa, which weakened to a depression when it hit the country, brought more rain to the region, the newspaper said.

Footage broadcast by Vietnam Television (VTV) showed fishermen being rescued by coastguards and helicopters as strong winds battered the central Vietnamese coast in the central province of Quang Tri.

Local authorities have evacuated almost 50,000 people to higher ground, with the floods submerging over 100,000 households.

Central parts of the country have experienced heavy rains since Tuesday as an incoming cold spell combined with tropical turbulence. Some locations received up to 500 millimeters of rain during a two-day period, the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting said Thursday.

Many schools in central provinces have been forced to close due to flooding.

Vietnam is prone to destructive storms and flooding due to its long coastline. Natural disasters – predominantly floods and landslides triggered by storms – killed 132 people and injured 207 others in the country last year.