1 dead, 12 missing, Typhoon Bualoi wreaks havoc in Vietnam

Typhoon Bualoi made landfall in northern central Vietnam in the early hours of Monday, damaging houses and knocking down power grids, with at least one person dead and 12 fishermen missing as the storm brought flooding rains and huge swells.

The typhoon was over Nghe An province as of 0800 (0100 GMT), with maximum wind speeds weakening to 88 kph from 117 kph when it made landfall hours earlier, according to the national weather forecast agency.

Before making landfall, Bualoi had moved along the country’s coastline for several hours, causing waves as high as eight metres, according to the national weather agency.

One person died after being caught in floodwater in Hue city, while 12 fishermen were missing after huge waves sank four fishing boats off Quang Tri province, state media reported.

Ahead of the typhoon hitting, the government evacuated more than 28,500 people, while hundreds of flights were cancelled or delayed as four airports in central provinces were closed.

The cyclone has triggered heavy rains across most of Vietnam since Saturday, and authorities have warned of the risk of severe floods and landslides.

Rainfall in several parts of the country was forecast to hit 500 millimetres from Sunday night through Tuesday, according to the weather agency.

With a long coastline facing the South China Sea, Vietnam is prone to typhoons that are often formed east of the Philippines, where at least 10 people died after Bualoi hit last week.