Natural disasters in Vietnam have killed 15 people and caused economic losses of more than 3.2 trillion Vietnamese dong (139 million U.S. dollars) so far this year, according to the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control.

Natural disasters destroyed nearly 1,700 houses and damaged some 54,200 as of Monday, daily newspaper Vietnam News cited a report by the committee as saying on Wednesday.

Extreme weather has been witnessed since the beginning of the year, including more than 100 hailstorms in 31 provinces and cities. In late April, the temperature in the capital Hanoi dropped to 16.5 degrees Celsius, the lowest at the same time of year in five decades. More disasters are forecast to strike Vietnam towards the end of the year, according to the committee.

In 2019, natural disasters in Vietnam left 132 people dead or missing and caused economic losses of 6.2 trillion Vietnamese dong (269.6 million U.S. dollars), according to the country's General Statistics Office.

Disasters are estimated to cost Vietnam 1 to 1.5 percent of GDP annually, said the committee.