Deadly Typhoon Haiyan hits Vietnam after devastating Philippines, Typhoon Haiyan, one of the mightiest storms ever recorded, came ashore Vietnam early Monday after pounding the Philippines where thousands were feared dead.
The storm, while appearing to be weakening after making landfall in Vietnam, showed no mercy to those along its path or its sphere of influence, extending to Taiwan and mainland China, while the victims and authorities in the Philippines faced the grim task of counting the dead and assessing the huge damage in the storm's wake,
The meteorological administration in China, where frantic efforts were under way to prepare for the storm, reported Typhoon Haiyan, spawned in the Pacific Ocean and known locally as Yolanda in the Philippines, landed in northeastern Vietnam's Quang Ninh province, about 75 miles from the capital Hanoi, about 5 a.m. Beijing time.
Vietnamese forecasters issued a severe tropical storm warning, saying more than 100 millimeters (about 4 inches) of rain accompanied by gale-force winds were expected in parts of Quang Ninh and Lang Son province.
Le Thank Hai, deputy director of Vietnam's meteorology center, had earlier warned that torrential rains caused by the storm could cause huge devastation in the country.
The storm was forecast to move to the north-northwest at 12.5 miles per hour and expected to weaken into a tropical depression.
However, even prior to the arrival of the juggernaut and forecasts that it was weakening, at least six people were reported to have died after falling from trees or rooftops as they worked to secure their homes, the Vietnam News Agency reported. The deaths were reported in Quang Name, Quang Ngai, Quang Binh and Thua Thien. The report also said more than 30 people were injured in Quang Ngai province alone after falling off roofs.
Authorities in Vietnam had already evacuated hundreds of thousands of people in the path of the storm. Schools in Hanoi remained closed Monday. In the port city of Haiphong, more than 2,000 vessels had been called ashore.
The news agency said Vietnamese Deputy Prime Ministers Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Hoang Trung Hai and other officials toured the central provinces Sunday to inspect preparations for Haiyan.
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung led an online meeting with threatened localities and agencies, ordering them to take steps to minimize any destruction, the report said.
At least eight people were killed during the weekend in northeastern Taiwan after being swept into the sea by waves, some as tall as 26 feet stirred up by Haiyan, Xinhua News Agency reported. Eight others, who were rescued, suffered injuries.
The storm, while appearing to be weakening after making landfall in Vietnam, showed no mercy to those along its path or its sphere of influence, extending to Taiwan and mainland China, while the victims and authorities in the Philippines faced the grim task of counting the dead and assessing the huge damage in the storm's wake,
The meteorological administration in China, where frantic efforts were under way to prepare for the storm, reported Typhoon Haiyan, spawned in the Pacific Ocean and known locally as Yolanda in the Philippines, landed in northeastern Vietnam's Quang Ninh province, about 75 miles from the capital Hanoi, about 5 a.m. Beijing time.
Vietnamese forecasters issued a severe tropical storm warning, saying more than 100 millimeters (about 4 inches) of rain accompanied by gale-force winds were expected in parts of Quang Ninh and Lang Son province.
Le Thank Hai, deputy director of Vietnam's meteorology center, had earlier warned that torrential rains caused by the storm could cause huge devastation in the country.
The storm was forecast to move to the north-northwest at 12.5 miles per hour and expected to weaken into a tropical depression.
However, even prior to the arrival of the juggernaut and forecasts that it was weakening, at least six people were reported to have died after falling from trees or rooftops as they worked to secure their homes, the Vietnam News Agency reported. The deaths were reported in Quang Name, Quang Ngai, Quang Binh and Thua Thien. The report also said more than 30 people were injured in Quang Ngai province alone after falling off roofs.
Authorities in Vietnam had already evacuated hundreds of thousands of people in the path of the storm. Schools in Hanoi remained closed Monday. In the port city of Haiphong, more than 2,000 vessels had been called ashore.
The news agency said Vietnamese Deputy Prime Ministers Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Hoang Trung Hai and other officials toured the central provinces Sunday to inspect preparations for Haiyan.
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung led an online meeting with threatened localities and agencies, ordering them to take steps to minimize any destruction, the report said.
At least eight people were killed during the weekend in northeastern Taiwan after being swept into the sea by waves, some as tall as 26 feet stirred up by Haiyan, Xinhua News Agency reported. Eight others, who were rescued, suffered injuries.
