Typhoon approaches flood-struck Vietnamese coastline

By Bennett Murray

HANOI, Vietnam (AA) – Flash flooding has killed at least 29 in central Vietnam as the region braces for Typhoon Sarika.

The Central Steering Committee on Natural Disaster Prevention said in a Tuesday report that torrential downpours, which began Friday, left more than 120,000 houses submerged across Quang Binh and Thua Thien-Hue provinces.

The storms have also injured 30, left one missing and destroyed nearly 1,000 homes.

As authorities continue to assess the damage from the downpours, the coast guard has ordered 35,000 vessels docked as Typhoon Sarika approaches the coast.

Sarika, which has already killed two in the Philippines, is expected to enter the Gulf of Tonkin Wednesday.

Both Quang Binh and Thua Thien-Hue, where half a million people have already been displaced, are among the 22 provinces that authorities anticipate will be hit.