Nearly 100 Vietnamese dead or missing in typhoon

Hanoi, Dec 7: Nearly 100 people were killed or are missing after a typhoon hit the southern coast of Vietnam this week, damaging hundreds of thousands of flimsy homes, a government report said today.

The national flood and storm control centre said 67 people were confirmed dead and 31 were missing in the aftermath of Typhoon Durian, which killed hundreds in the Philippines after hitting the archipelago last Thursday.

Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, who toured damaged areas of Ba Ria-Vung Tau province yesterday, postponed trips to Singapore and Malaysia, a government spokesman said. He said Dung would still attend a weekend summit of 10 ASEAN members plus India, Australia and New Zealand in the Philippines.

Durianwas Vietnam's ninth storm of the year and it damaged or destroyed more than 212,000 homes and sank 808 fishing vessels, today's government report said.

Every year, hundreds or even thousands of people are killed in tropical storms and typhoons that batter flimsy dwellings and fishing boats or cause flooding and mudslides in the mostly rural Southeast Asian country of 84 million people.

In May, hundreds of Vietnamese fishermen were lost in a typhoon named Chanchu. In October, another typhoon, Xangsane, killed at least 70 and destroyed or submerged hundreds of thousands of homes when it struck the central coastal city of Danang, despite early warnings and preparations.

Reuters