The storm followed closely after Kalmaegi battered the Philippines, leaving scores dead or missing. As floodwaters receded, recovery work began in towns and industrial zones, with authorities and residents clearing debris and repairing damaged roofs for millions affected across central Vietnam
Residents walk over the debris of a structure destroyed in high winds in a fishing village near Quy Nhon, Vietnam, in the aftermath of Typhoon Kalmaegi. PIC/AFP
Typhoon Kalmaegi lashed Vietnam on Friday with strong winds and heavy rains, killing at least five people and causing widespread damage across the country’s central provinces, news agency AP reported. The storm followed closely after Kalmaegi battered the Philippines, leaving scores dead or missing.
As floodwaters receded, recovery work began in towns and industrial zones, with authorities and residents clearing debris and repairing damaged roofs for millions affected across central Vietnam.
State media reported that five people were killed — three in Dak Lak and two in Gia Lai provinces — while three others remained missing in Quang Ngai. Six people were injured, AP reported.
Fifty-two houses collapsed, and nearly 2,600 others were damaged or had their roofs blown off, including more than 2,400 in Gia Lai alone. Power outages affected over 1.6 million households.
In the Philippines, where Kalmaegi made landfall earlier this week, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr declared a state of national emergency on Thursday as the country prepared for another potentially powerful storm, Typhoon Fung-wong, locally called Uwan, AP reported.
The weather bureau said Fung-wong could expand to an estimated 1,400 km-diameter before making landfall late Sunday or early Monday in northern Aurora province, potentially affecting the densely populated Manila metropolitan area.
Typhoon Kalmaegi has so far left at least 188 people dead and 135 missing in the Philippines, according to the Office of Civil Defence. More than half-a-million people have been displaced, with nearly 4.5 lakh evacuated to shelters. Of these, more than 3.18 lakh remained in the shelters as on Thursday.
In Vietnam, many areas reported uprooted trees, damaged power lines, and flattened buildings as Typhoon Kalmaegi weakened into a tropical storm and moved into Cambodia on Friday.
Factories in Binh Dinh province lost roofs, and equipment was damaged due to flooding. In Quy Nhon, residents woke up to corrugated metal roofs and household items scattered across the streets.
As skies cleared on Friday morning, residents in Dak Lak province stepped out to assess the damage. Streets were littered with fallen branches and twisted metal, while muddy water still pooled in low-lying areas where rivers had surged to record heights overnight. Shopkeepers dragged out waterlogged goods to dry in the sun, and families swept mud from doorsteps and patched missing roof tiles.
Kalmaegi struck while Vietnam’s central region was still reeling from floods caused by record-breaking rains. Authorities said more than 537,000 people were evacuated, many by boat, as floodwaters rose and landslides threatened. The storm was forecast to dump up to 24 inches of rain in some areas before moving into Laos and northeast Thailand later on Friday.
Three fishermen were reported missing Thursday after their boat was swept away by strong waves near Ly Son Island off Quang Ngai province. Search operations were later suspended due to worsening weather, state media said.
The Philippines experiences about 20 typhoons and storms each year, making it one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries. Vietnam, hit by around a dozen storms annually, has endured a relentless series this year. Typhoon Ragasa brought torrential rains in late September, followed by Typhoons Bualoi and Matmo, which together left more than 85 people dead or missing and caused an estimated $1.36 billion in damage.
Scientists warn that a warming climate is intensifying storms and rainfall across Southeast Asia, making floods and typhoons increasingly frequent and destructive.
(With AP inputs)
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