VIETNAM – Vietnam has mobilised around 100,000 military personnel to assist in the evacuation of 250,000 people as intensifying Typhoon Bualoi barrels towards the country, forcing authorities to shut down several airports.
Bualoi, the 10th typhoon to affect Vietnam this year, is currently at sea, generating winds of 130 km/h (80 mph). It is expected to make landfall later on Sunday, according to the national meteorology agency. “This is a rapidly moving storm – nearly twice the average speed – with strong intensity and a broad area of impact. It is capable of triggering multiple natural disasters simultaneously, including powerful winds, heavy rainfall, flooding, flash floods, landslides, and coastal inundation,” the agency warned.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has called for the “highest level of readiness” as Bualoi entered Vietnam’s waters, state-run Viet Nam News reported. Ahead of landfall, three fishermen from Ho Chi Minh City went missing after one vessel sank and another was disabled by large waves off the coast of Quang Tri province. Eight others were rescued.
The two vessels were seen stranded about 1.5 km (1 mile) from the mouth of the Cua Viet Channel, according to local reports. In Da Nang, the country’s largest city, state media said the government is evacuating more than 210,000 residents. In Hue, another 32,000 people living in coastal areas are also being moved to safer ground.
In Ha Tinh, a key steel production hub, more than 15,000 residents are being evacuated to schools and medical centres converted into temporary shelters, AFP reported, citing local authorities.
To reinforce the coastline, Da Nang’s city government has mobilised over 200 people along with trucks, stone, sand, bamboo stakes and sacks, according to the VN Express news website. (Aljazeera)
