After pummeling Philippines, Typhoon Kalmaegi lashes Vietnam

Typhoon Kalmaegi lashed Vietnam with fierce winds and torrential rains as it made landfall on Thursday after leaving more than 100 people dead and dozens missing in the Philippines.

- BY ANIRUDDHA GHOSAL AND JIM GOMEZ

PEOPLE pay respects to the victims who died after Kalmaegi made landfall in Bacayan, Philippines.

Three fishermen were reported missing after their boat was swept away by strong waves on Ly Son, an island in Vietnam’s Quang Ngai province. A search operation was launched but later suspended because of worsening weather, state media said.

Authorities said more than 537,000 people were evacuated, many by boat, as floodwaters rose and landslides loomed.

Vietnam’s central provinces were already reeling from floods because of record-breaking rains. Kalmaegi is forecast to dump more than 24 inches of rain in some areas.

An unusually strong storm for the region in November, Kalmaegi packed sustained winds of about 114 mph with gusts reaching up to 137 mph over the South China Sea as it approached Vietnam.

Waves up to 10 feet high battered the coast in cities such as Danang, and strong winds uprooted trees in Dak Lak province. Many homes in Quy Nhon, also a coastal city, were left without power for hours.

The country’s financial hub, Ho Chi Minh City, faced a heightened risk of severe floods. High tides were expected on the Saigon River, and authorities warned up to 4 inches of expected rainfall could inundate low-lying areas.

State of emergency in the Philippines