CUA LO: Typhoon Kajiki brought torrential rains to Vietnam's north central coast on Monday, felling trees and flooding homes, despite wind speeds tapering off from earlier in the day. As of 0900 GMT, Kajiki was on the coast of Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces, with wind speed easing to 118-133 kph from as strong as 166 kph, according to the country's weather agency.
Vietnam had shut airports, closed schools and begun mass evacuations as it prepared for the most powerful storm so far this year. The government warned earlier of "an extremely dangerous fast-moving storm," adding that Kajiki would bring heavy rains, flooding and landslides. The weather agency said rainfall could reach 500 millimetres from Monday afternoon until the end of Tuesday in several parts of northern Vietnam.
The Vietnamese government said earlier on Monday that about 30,000 people had been evacuated from coastal areas. More than 16,500 soldiers and 107,000 paramilitary personnel had been mobilised to help with the evacuation and stand by for search and rescue. — Reuters
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