[Vnbiz] Tyhoon strikes Vietnam

[Phan, Tai]

Tyhoon strikes Vietnam, toll at 76 in Philippines by Le Thang Long 
Sun Oct 1, 5:19 PM ET
 


DANANG, Vietnam (AFP) - Typhoon Xangsane has barreled into central Vietnam, forcing hundreds of thousands to flee and cutting electricity and many telephone lines after killing scores of people in the Philippines. 

 
 
Six people died and 51 people were injured in four provinces, according to the first reports released by the Vietnamese rescue operation.

Strong winds uprooted trees and destroyed roofs in the central city of Danang, where the Han river broke its banks for several hours, an AFP journalist witnessed Sunday.

Air and train travel across the country was disrupted.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung said authorities evacuated around 300,000 people ahead of the storm, which dumped heavy rains on several heavily-populated areas of central Vietnam, including the region's popular tourist beach resorts.

"I think this will be one of the biggest storms to hit Vietnam in the past few decades," Le Huy Ngo, head of the steering committee on flood and storm control, told AFP at the rescue center in Danang.

"Apart from coping with the storm, we will have to deal with flash floods and landslides."

Xangsane -- which was packing maximum sustained winds of 148 kilometers (90 miles) an hour early Sunday, according to the Hong Kong observatory -- has already claimed the lives of at least 76 people in the Philippines.

Millions were without power and clean drinking water in the Philippines capital Manila and the surrounding area, officials said Sunday. Sixty-nine people were still reported missing.

In Vietnam, rescuers, coast guards and the military were struggling to avoid a repeat of the devastation wrought by Typhoon Chanchu in May, which left 267 people dead or missing -- a toll blamed on the failure of the storm response system.

By midday, many electricity and telephone lines were cut in the four provinces heavily hit by the epicenter of the typhoon, namely Danang, Thua Thien-Hue, Quang Nam and Quang Ngai. Five other provinces have also been badly affected by strong winds and rains.

The popular tourism town of Hoi An, where at least 450 foreigners were evacuated Saturday, was also badly flooded.

The former royal capital of Hue was said to be in "serious" situation with the local Huong River rising dangerously, but the ancient citadel might not suffer too much damage, local officials said.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung and Agriculture Minister Cao Duc Phat left Danang early afternoon to visit separately some of the worst affected areas.

A large meeting is expected early Monday for what could be the first accurate estimation of the human and material losses.

Losses "will be big as Danang city faces the sea," said Van Phu Chinh, head of the Danang-based central region's committee on flood and storm control.

"In 1988, Danang suffered a similar devastating storm, killing 94 people. But at that time, the power of the storm and the wind were not that bad," he added.

Officials said power could be restored later Sunday in Danang for essential administrative services, but not for the entire population. 

Several neighbouring countries permitted Vietnamese fishermen to seek shelter following a request by the Vietnamese authorities, said Deputy Prime Minister Hung. 

Nguyen Ngoc Quang, head of the Quang Nam committee on flood and storm control, said Sunday around 4,000 inhabitants on the province's seven islets of Cu Lao Cham had lost all contact with the mainland. 

The weakened typhoon hit Laos' central and south provinces later in the day although the damage was not expected to be extensive, an official said. 

"Mountains have protected us and the winds are not that strong," Yong Chantalangsy, the foreign ministry spokesman, said in Vientiane. 

"There won't be any major damage."