A FLASH flood swept away an entire hamlet in northern Vietnam, killing 22 people and leaving dozens missing as deaths from a typhoon and its aftermath climbed to 141 today.

Vietnamese broadcaster VTV said that the torrent of water gushing down from a mountain in Lao Cai province on Tuesday buried Lang Nu hamlet with 35 families in mud and debris.

Only about a dozen are known so far to have survived. Rescuers have recovered 22 bodies and are continuing the search for about 70 others.