Sun.Star Breaking News

HANOI, Vietnam — Tropical storm Mekkhala slammed into central Vietnam on Tuesday, knocking down trees and electricity poles and forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands of people, officials said.

The storm arrived as residents of northern Vietnam were still cleaning up the aftermath of a typhoon that killed 41 people last week.

Mekkhala, packing winds of 55 miles per hour (88 kilometers per hour), blew tin roofs off houses in Quang Binh province, said disaster official Nguyen Ngoc Dien.

Blackouts were reported in the provincial capital Dong Hoi, Dien said, adding authorities have urged residents of high-risk areas to evacuate.

Evacuations were also under way in the neighboring province of Ha Tinh, said vice governor Tran Minh Ky.

“The evacuation of some 10,000 people in the coastal villages is expected to be completed by noon,” Ky said. “We also plan to evacuate another 10,000 people in four mountainous districts which were threatened by flash floods and landslides.”

Ky said more than 3,000 fishing trawlers from the province had returned to safe shelters.

The national weather forecast center said the storm is expected to bring heavy rains to central Vietnam.

Rescue workers in several northern provinces struggled to reach isolated villages devastated by floods triggered by Typhoon Hagupit.

At least 41 people were killed and five feared dead after the storm battered mountainous areas last week, causing an estimated US$65 million in damage.

Vietnam is prone to floods and storms that kill hundreds of people each year. (AP)

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