Typhoon Kajiki lashes Vietnam, one killed

Vietnam’s central belt was lashed by Typhoon Kajiki on Monday, with at least one person killed by deluges and gales howling more than 130 kilometres per hour, as tens of thousands of residents were evacuated from the path of the tempest.

The typhoon - the fifth to affect Vietnam this year - roiled the Gulf of Tonkin with waves of up to 9.5 metres before hitting shore around 3:00 pm (0800 GMT).

Nearly 44,000 people were evacuated from the region as 16,000 military personnel were mobilised and all fishing boats in the typhoon’s path were called back to harbour.

Two domestic airports were shut and 35 flights cancelled before it landed between Ha Tinh and Nghe An provinces, tearing the roofs off more than 600 homes according to authorities.

“I have never experienced such strong winds in all my life,” 38-year-old Nguyen Thi Phuong told reporters in Vinh city, the provincial capital of Nghe An which was stricken by widespread blackouts on Monday night.

One fatality was reported by the agriculture ministry, with at least eight more people wounded.

The typhoon made landfall packing windspeeds between 118 and 133 kilometres per hour, Vietnam’s National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting said.

“The risk for flash floods overnight is very high, so we have to stay on high alert,” director Mai Van Khiem told reporters.

Waterfront Vinh city was deluged early on Monday, its streets largely deserted with most shops and restaurants closed as residents and business owners sandbagged their property entrances.

“I have never heard of a typhoon of this big scale coming to our city,” said 66-year-old Le Manh Tung at a Vinh indoor sports stadium, where evacuated families dined on a simple breakfast of sticky rice.

“I am a bit scared, but then we have to accept it because it’s nature -- we cannot do anything,” he added.

Human-caused climate change is driving more intense and unpredictable weather patterns that can make destructive floods and storms more likely, particularly in the tropics.

“Normally we get storms and flooding, but never this big,” said 52-year-old evacuee Nguyen Thi Nhan.

The typhoon’s power is due to dramatically dissipate after it makes landfall.

Agencies