Typhoon Kalmaegi hits Vietnam after killing 140 in Philippines

Typhoon Kalmaegi slammed into Vietnam on Thursday, forcing authorities to cancel hundreds of flights and order people to stay indoors, two days after the storm started sweeping across the Philippines.

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Kalmaegi cut a path of destruction through the Philippines this week, killing at least 140 people and leaving another 127 missing after unleashing devastating floods.

Kalmaegi — packing winds of up to 149kph, according to the national weather forecaster - blew roofs off houses and downed trees and telegraph poles. It whipped up waves as high as 10 metres as it hit the central region's coast, the agency added.

"The wind is so so strong, nothing can resist," Vu Van Hao, 48, told AFP as he surveyed the shards of windows shattered by the storm in the lobby of a hotel in Gia Lai province. "We here have never experienced such strong wind like this. It's a natural disaster, what can we do?"

Officials closed six airports and the government said more than 260,000 people in Gia Lai province had been moved to safety. Kalmaegi is the 13th storm to hit Vietnam this year, and among the most powerful.

Meanwhile, Da Nang and Khanh Hoa guided 61,000 boats carrying nearly 290,000 workers to safe shelter.