Vietnam races to prepare for Typhoon Wipha as Philippines suffers storm deaths
"This is a very strong storm, moving fast, with a wide and dangerous impact on both land and sea,' Vietnam Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said in a directive to government agencies. He ordered all fishing boats, cargo ships and tourist vessels to return to shore and urged the evacuation of people in high-risk areas.
The storm has already proved deadly in the Philippines, where it intensified monsoon rains and killed at least three people over the weekend, including one who drowned and two others struck by falling trees. Philippine officials were checking reports of three more deaths, while seven people, including two children, remained missing.
Floods, landslides and debris affected over 800,000 people, with about 90,000 forced to evacuate, authorities said. Hundreds of cruise ships have anchored in Vietnam's Ha Long Bay after authorities suspended all tourist boat services due to the storm. A tourist boat capsized there during a thunderstorm over the weekend, ahead of the typhoon's arrival, killing at least 37 people.
Ongoing bad weather is expected to complicate the search for the missing. National carrier Vietnam Airlines and its affiliate Pacific Airlines canceled at least nine domestic flights on Monday, with more delays expected. Budget airline Vietjet canceled 12 flights including international routes to South Korea. Local authorities have deployed rescue crews and stocked food and medical supplies while working to secure telecommunications infrastructure.
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