Typhoon Wutip kills 3, injures 26 in central Vietnam

Typhoon Wutip struck five central provinces yesterday afternoon, lasting for 4 and a half hours. The disaster killed three people, injured 26 others, damaged 5,500 houses, broke the 500 kV transmission line, ruined thousands of hectares of crops, and postponed eight scheduled flights, causing over 1,000 passengers to be delayed, local authorities reported.

>> Typhoon Wutip causes damage to central provinces

Wutip is the most powerful typhoon to hit Vietnam in the past seven years, and the tenth to hit this year.
In Ha Tinh, the typhoon caused about 1,000 houses to lose their roofs to violent winds. The local communication system was out of order with numerous electric poles and antenna systems falling.

In Quang Tri, the typhoon injured 12 people and submerged and damaged about 4,000 hectares of rubber and 500 hectares of pepper. More than 2,000 houses and many schools and clinics were also damaged. Dozens of houses completely collapsed during the storm’s landfall.

In Quang Nam, a 100-meter section of a sea dyke in Cua Dai Ward, Hoi An town, collapsed.

Meanwhile, the typhoon killed three people and injured four others in Quang Binh, where more than 10,500 hectares of rubber plants fell. About 90 percent of houses in Bo Trach District had their roofs blown away by powerful winds.

Of the three deceased victims, two died when a 150 m tall antenna tower collapsed and fell on them in Dong Hoi city. The tower belonged to a broadcast station of the Radio Voice of Vietnam.

In Thua Thien-Hue Province, two people were injured, six houses collapsed and 400 other houses lost their roofs to violent winds. About 220 hectares of aquaculture were damaged and about 10 km of seashore was eroded by seawater at a distance of 5-10 meters.

Meanwhile, the Ha Tinh-Da Nang section of the North-South 500 kV transmission line was cut off by the typhoon at about 1 pm Monday, causing power outage in many provinces including Thua Thien-Hue, Quang Binh and Quang Tri.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade said it has instructed the Electricity of Vietnam Group (EVN) to take measures to ensure electricity will be supplied to the southern region.

The typhoon also caused delays to eight flights of the country’s major airline, Vietnam Airlines, affecting more than 1,000 passengers. Vietnam-based budget airline Jetstar Pacific Airlines (JPA) said it had been forced to adjust its flight schedules due to impacts of the typhoon. 

The powerful storm sank three Chinese fishing boats in the East Sea yesterday afternoon, leaving 74 fishermen missing. The boats were sailing from the southern province of Guangdong.

The Chinese authorities have sent 10 vessels, including three naval ships  and six helicopters, to search for and hopefully rescue the victims, Xinhua News reported.

The team had already rescued 14 survivors, the sources said.