HÀ NỘI — A new typhoon, Kaitak, entered the south of the East Sea on Monday afternoon. The 15th storm to hit the waters this year, it is forecast to get stronger, according to the National Centre for Hydrometeorological Forecasting.

At 1pm on Monday, it was 530km southeast of the Song Tử Tây Island in the Trường Sa (Spratly) Archipelago. It was moving southeast at a speed of 15km per hour - and is expected to continue doing this for the next 24-48 hours.

The typhoon is expected to be about 270km away from the island at 7am today, creating showers and storms.

The severe storm killed about 30 people on Biliran Island in the central Philippines after making landfall here on Sunday, the VnExpress online newspaper reported.

The Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control on Monday issued an urgent message calling for preparations to protect people and livestock.

The message asked the authorities of localities from the coastal Quảng Ninh Province to the central province of Kiên Giang to closely follow the typhoon’s progress and update information for fishermen and boat owners.

It requires local authorities from Đà Nẵng City to Kiên Giang Province to start counting fishing vessels and boats at sea and intensify its control over them.

The message urged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to support fishing vessels forced to take shelter in countries in the region. The central province of Bình Định is alreadyikeeping an eye on two fishing vessels that requested to take shelter in Malaysia.

The Central Steering Committee requested the Committees for Disaster Preparedness and Search and Rescue, as well as concerned ministries and sectors, to prepare human resources and equipment to be ready to search and rescue typhoon victims.  

A cold spell has intensified in the South East region of Việt Nam. It is expected to affect wide areas in the North and North Central Coast regions from December 18 to 20, with lowest temperatures ranging from two to nine degrees Celsius in the northern region and nine to 11 degrees Celsius in the northern Delta. — VNS