Typhoon Bualoi kills 19 in Vietnam, 21 missing

Typhoon Bualoi has claimed at least 19 lives in central Vietnam, with a further 21 people reported missing and at least 88 injured, the government said on Tuesday. The storm struck Vietnam’s central coast after wreaking havoc in the Philippines, with wind speeds exceeding 300 km/h as it made landfall.

The worst-affected areas are the central provinces of Nghe An and Ha Tinh, where victims were swept away in landslides and flash floods. An estimated 100,000 homes were partially or completely destroyed in the two provinces, and nearly 10,000 hectares of rice and other crops were damaged. Power outages were widespread after poles were toppled. Authorities warned that normalcy has still not returned to many affected areas.

Before hitting Vietnam, Bualoi left devastation in the Philippines, where officials reported 26 dead and at least 14 people missing.