Hanoi  - A helicopter search and rescue team lifted 18 gold panners to safety after they spent two days stranded by floods, a Vietnamese official said Thursday.

The panners were caught in a flash flood Tuesday while they were sifting for gold nuggets in the Dak Mi River in Quang Nam province, about 600 kilometres south of Hanoi.

The panners had climbed trees to escape the rising waters, said B'Nuoc Phuoc, chairman of the People's Committee of the province's Nam Giang district.

Local army troops and police were unable to reach the panners and called in a helicopter from a nearby army base, which rescued all 18 stranded panners from the trees with rope ladders.

Vietnam is a disaster-prone country where heavy rains and flooding kill hundreds every year.

Last year, natural disasters killed 550 people in Vietnam and caused damage amounting to more than 700 million dollars. (dpa)