Fishing fleet takes cover as typhoon approaches
HA NOI – More than 38,000 ships with 190,000 crew have been warned to take cover as Typhoon Son Tinh bears down on Viet Nam's central coastline.
The typhoon this morning was 520km south-east of the Hoang Sa (Paracel) Islands and heading in a north-west direction at 20-25kph with wind speeds of 75-88kph and intensifying.
The National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting said that by 4am tomorrow, the centre of the typhoon would be about 260km east of Thua Thien-Hue and Quang Ngai central province with wind speeds at sea of 89-102kph.
The typhoon centre would be at the border of Viet Nam and Laos on Sunday.
Winds in the East Sea are expected to reach speeds of 74-88kph, likewise off the coast of Quang Tri to Quang Ngai.
The National Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Prevention and Control and Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat said warnings had been sent to boats working in the Hoang Sa Island areas to take shelter.
The ministry had also assigned officials to go to the central north and southern areas of the Hong (Red) Delta to give guidance on protecting dykes, reservoirs and water plants.
Border Guards had assigned more than 4,600 soldiers to prepare for the typhoon. – VNS