Typhoon death toll surges to 89 in central Vietnam

HANOI — Typhoon Damrey has killed 89 local people and left 18 others missing in Vietnam’s central and central highlands regions, the country’s Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control said on Wednesday.

Damrey also injured 174 people, destroyed over 2,000 houses, damaged more than 110,000 others, sank about 1,200 cargo and fishing ships and boats and killed nearly 10,000 birds and cattle.

Of the fatalities, 37 were from central Khanh Hoa province, 15 in central Binh Dinh province, 15 in central Quang Nam province, nine in central Thua Thien Hue province, seven in central Quang Ngai province, three in central highlands Lam Dong province, three in central Phu Yen, and one in Phu Yen, Kon Tum and Dak Lak provinces each.

They died or went missing in house collapses, landslides, ship sinking or floodwater flows.

Eighteen vessels have been mobilized for search and rescue activities in the waters. No oil spills have been seen so far.

Weather forecasters said water levels in most rivers in the region were declining, but the Vietnam Disaster Management Authority said parts of a main highway were still covered with up to a meter of water, disrupting traffic.

The disaster agency said the government has ordered relief aid of $44 million for the typhoon’s victims.

Fairly strong winds last weekend destroyed or damaged several gates and billboards on the key roads along My Son beach in central Da Nang city, which is hosting the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders’ Week from Nov 6 to Nov 11. It rained on Wednesday morning.

WANG DI / XINHUA Local people watch an exhibition about Confucius at a museum in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Monday.