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Vietnam was rushing to evacuate more than 250,000 residents from coastal areas on Sunday as Typhoon Bualoi closed in.
Authorities have also closed four coastal airports, including Danang International Airport. They have also called all fishing boats in the typhoon’s path back to harbor.
Thousands of troops have been mobilized to be able to provide assistance.
What do we know about the typhoon?
Bualoi hit the neighboring Philippines days ago, killing at least 10 and causing widespread flooding.
The storm is currently at sea generating winds of about 130 kilometers per hour (80 miles per hour).
It is expected to reach Vietnam at 7:00 pm (1200 GMT), according to Vietnam’s national weather forecast agency.
“This is a rapidly moving storm — nearly twice the average speed — with strong intensity and a broad area of impact,” the agency said.
“It is capable of triggering multiple natural disasters simultaneously, including powerful winds, heavy rainfall, flooding, flash floods, landslides, and coastal inundation,” it added.
Vietnam vulnerable to typhoons
The country’s central provinces have witnessed heavy rains since Saturday night, with floods already reported in some low-lying areas.
“I feel a bit anxious but still hopeful that everything will be fine in the aftermath. We were all safe after the recent typhoon Kajiki. I hope this one will be the same or less severe,” Nguyen Cuong, 29, a resident of Ha Tinh City, told the AFP news agency.
Vietnam, which has a long coastline facing the South China Sea, is prone to typhoons that are often deadly.
In the first seven months of this year, over 100 people were killed or went missing from natural disasters, according to the country’s Agriculture Ministry.
Last year, Typhoon Yagi caused around 300 fatalities and $3.3 billion (€2.8 billion) worth of economic damage.
Edited by: Darko Janjevic
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