7 injured, 280 houses damaged as Storm Rai crosses central Vietnam

Tropical Storm Rai has left seven injured and damaged 280 houses in central Vietnam, following its landfall early Tuesday morning.

The injured all came from the central province of Quang Tri, the National Committee for Search and Rescue said on Tuesday.

The storm has also sunk four ships and stranded two others, while 275 houses had their roofs torn off between Quang Binh and Quang Nam, and five dwellings were completely destroyed in the central province of Quang Ngai.

Flooding caused by the storm has also submerged 175 residences in Da Nang, Hue City, and Quang Ngai,

Farmers were also counting the cost, after 615 hectares of vegetables and rice crop in Quang Tri and Quang Ngai were destroyed, 155 trees were uprooted and 450 meters of road were damaged.

On Tuesday evening, the National Committee for Search and Rescue and the Department of Natural Disaster Prevention and Control urged relevant units to enact preventive measures against the Typhoon Meranti, which is expected to enter the East Vietnam Sea to the north-east on Wednesday.

Moving west-northwestwards, Miranti is predicted to peak at latitude 23.1 degrees north and longitude 118.3 degree east by 1:00 am on Thursday, with maximum sustained winds predicted to reach between 185 and 200 kph, according to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

Severe rough seas and winds as high as 17 on the Beaufort scale are expected in the northeastern area of the East Vietnam Sea..

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