HANOI, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Hundreds of crocodiles are on the loose in a central Vietnam province after floodwaters broke their cages on a breeding farm, officials said. They said seven crocodiles had been shot dead since escaping on Saturday and authorities in Khanh Hoa province deployed soldiers and militia to hunt them. The farm had about 5,000 crocodiles and even as employees were trying to catch runaway reptiles, a flash flood swept through the cages, allowing more to flee, state-run Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper reported. It said the first crocodile was shot on Sunday morning. It weighed 200 kg (440 lb) and took eight people to carry the body away. Vietnam's central provinces have been hit hard by floods since early last month, with more than 200 people killed in a series of storms that brought heavy rain and wind and raised river levels. (Reporting by Grant McCool, editing by Sanjeev Miglani)
