Typhoon Bualoi brings havoc to Vietnam, killing 13 and injuring 46
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Boats on a road as Typhoon Bualoi approached in Nghe An province, Vietnam, on Sept 28.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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NGHE AN/HANOI – Typhoon Bualoi tore through Vietnam’s coast on Sept 29, killing at least 13 people and injuring 46, the government said, while accompanying strong winds and heavy rain damaged homes, snapped power links and flooded roads.
Bualoi weakened into a depression heading for Laos after having made landfall early on Sept 29, and whipped up waves as high as 8m as it moved along the northern central coast, the national weather agency said.
Among the missing are fishermen whose boats were washed away off the province of Quang Tri, while another fishing boat lost contact, the government’s disaster management agency said.
“I stayed awake the whole night, fearing the door would be pulled off by strong winds,” said Mr Ho Van Quynh from Nghe An province. His neighbours said they spent the night trying to protect their homes after their apartment building lost power.
“I’ve witnessed many storms, and this is one of the strongest,” said 45-year-old Nguyen Tuan Vinh.
Strong winds killed nine people and injured seven in the province of Ninh Binh, the Vietnam News Agency said.
One person died in flood waters in Hue city, and a falling tree killed another in Thanh Hoa province, the disaster management agency said.
Bualoi has damaged more than 44,000 homes, inundated nearly 6,000ha of rice and other crops, and cut access to several areas, the government said.
The government mentioned no major damage to industrial properties, though large factories in or near the typhoon’s path included some owned by Foxconn, Formosa Plastics, Luxshare and Vinfast.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh ordered the Defence and Public Security ministries to urgently send troops and policemen to help tackle the storm’s aftermath.
The typhoon has triggered heavy rain across most of Vietnam since Sept 27, prompting the authorities to warn of a high risk of severe floods and landslides.
Water rose to alarming levels in rivers and reservoirs in the provinces of Nghe An, Ha Tinh and Thanh Hoa, the government said, with tens of thousands of families also hit by power blackouts.
Rainfall of 500mm was forecast in several areas over the period from the night of Sept 28 to 30, the weather authorities said.
With a long coastline facing the South China Sea, Vietnam is prone to typhoons that often form east of the Philippines, where Bualoi killed at least 10 people last week. REUTERS
