Two die and four people are missing amid floods as Typhoon Wutip approaches Vietnam's coastline

The Star

13-06-2025

Forecasts of Storm Wutip's trajectory, June 13, 2025. Photo courtesy of the Vietnam Disasters Monitoring System. - Vietnam News/ANN
HANOI (Vietnam News/ANN): Two people in Hue were killed while four people in Quang Binh went missing amid raging floods on Friday as Typhoon Wutip triggered heavy rains across central Vietnam.
In Quang Binh Province, a nighttime frog-hunting trip ended in tragedy when three people were swept away by sudden floodwaters around 1 a.m.
Truong Thi Duc, 63, her younger sister Truong Thi Du, 59, and a neighbor were crossing a spillway bridge when a surge of water hit.
The neighbour managed to cling to a tree branch and survive, but the two sisters were carried away and have not been found.
Also on Friday morning, in Nhan Trach commune, Nguyen Van Chuc and his wife Truong Thi Ngan disappeared while collecting fishing nets along the Dinh River with their son. After the couple failed to return home by 6am, their son went back to search and found their empty wooden boat drifting alone.
Authorities have since deployed boats and enlisted local help to scour the river and nearby coastline, but no trace of the couple has been found.
In Thua Thien-Hue Province, two young brothers were killed while setting fish traps in a flooded rice field. Nguyen Viet Vinh, 24, and Nguyen Viet Anh, 22, were swept away by flash floods around 12:30 p.m. in Vinh Hung commune.
After hours of searching, their bodies were recovered at around 3 p.m.
According to local official Nguyen Quang Huy, neither of the brothers knew how to swim.
As of 10am on Friday, Typhoon Wutip lay centered off the southwest coast of China's Hainan Island, packing sustained winds of 117 kph, according to Vietnam's National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting. Wutip is moving northwest at 10–15 kph and is expected to veer northeast toward Guangdong, China, after skimming past the Leizhou Peninsula.
What's raising alarm is Wutip's unusual path. Instead of cutting across Hainan Island, the storm skirted its center, avoiding land friction and gaining strength over open waters. As a result, meteorologists warn the Gulf of Tonkin would face powerful winds and rough seas.
By Saturday, Wutip is projected to maintain intensity before weakening over southern China by Sunday morning.
The Japan Meteorological Agency and Hong Kong Observatory both forecast wind speeds of 108–110 kph as the storm crosses into the Gulf of Tonkin.
From Friday afternoon, Vietnam's northern coastal provinces, including Quang Ninh, Hai Phong, Thai Binh and Nam Dinh, began experiencing gale-force winds and sea waves up to 4 meters. Island districts such as Co To and Bach Long Vi are on high alert for hazardous marine conditions.
Tidal surges and high waves from Hai Phong to Nghe An could lead to localized flooding, especially in river mouths and low-lying areas.
Even before reaching Vietnam's shores, Wutip wreaked havoc on Wednesday while lingering near the Paracel Islands, over 300 km from the coast. Heavy rains drenched central provinces from Quang Tri to Quang Nam, with Hue recording the most intense downpours.
More than 58,000 hectares of crops have been damaged, mainly in Hue, Quang Nam and Quang Tri. At least 800 homes in Quang Nam and 80 in Da Nang were inundated, while key roads in Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Hue became impassable. Over 20 flights out of Da Nang Airport were delayed or canceled.
Central provinces like Quang Binh and Hue are forecast to receive 50–100 mm of rain through Saturday, with localized totals possibly exceeding 200 mm. Additional rainfall of 20–40 mm is expected in southern Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Da Nang–Quang Nam, and northern parts of Kon Tum, with some areas seeing over 100 mm. - Vietnam News/ANN