Typhoon Molave hits Central Vietnam

Hanoi: Typhoon Molave, which slammed Central Vietnam, killed two people, injured 28 and left 55 others missing. Molave has destroyed 227 houses, blown up to 88,591 house roots and sunk nine fishing vessels, according to the government official news portal.

The typhoon which made landfall south of Da Nang packing winds up to the speed of 145km/h (90 mg/h), has worsened floods in areas of central Vietnam and has caused fresh flooding in new areas, including the central highlands near the Laos border. According to authorities and Red Cross, 53 people are buried and feared dead in two landslides caused by the storm.

The Storm Molave penetrated Vietnam's south-central coast from a port city Da Nang and Phu Yen Province, with ferocious winds and heavy rainfalls with 250-450 mm in most regions on Wednesday. The southern parts of the country will experience an average rainfall of 200-400 mm or even over 500 mm until Saturday.

The country has borne heavy prolonged rains, storm surge and strong winds that have caused severe flooding and landslides because of a combination of frequent weather extremities since October 6. The Viet Nam Disaster Management Authority (VNDMA) has recorded 174 dead and missing as of 28 October.

Around 150,000 people are expected to face threats of food shortages and hunger after thousands of hectares of crops have been destroyed. According to authorities, Storm Molave and Typhoon Xangsane are the two most powerful storms Vietnam endured over the past 20 years.

The typhoon killed at least nine people in the Philippines before heading toward Vietnam.