Vietnam, Typhoon Wipha and Philippines
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Tropical storm Wipha weakened after making landfall in northern Vietnam on Tuesday, with authorities on alert due to heavy rains that could cause flooding and mudslides, as the Philippines struggled with monsoon downpours that began last week.
PANO - On July 21, the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army sent a dispatch to all agencies and units in the military to carry out comprehensive measures to respond to typhoon Wipha.
The thunderstorm came so suddenly that it overturned the boat within seconds, said two survivors of the shipwreck which killed at least 35 people in Vietnam's top tourist spot of Halong Bay and left another four missing.
Tropical storm Wipha was set to cross Vietnam's northern coastline on Tuesday morning, with almost 350,000 soldiers on standby as the state weather agency forecast up to 50 cm (20 inches) of rainfall that could cause flooding and mudslides.
The death toll from a tourist boat accident in Vietnam’s Halong Bay climbed to at least 38 with several people still missing, the government said, as rescuers continued to search for survivors while bracing for the approach of Typhoon Wipha.
VOV.VN - Typhoon Wipha, packing powerful winds and torrential rains, is expected to move into the Gulf of Tonkin on July 21, and strike the northern coastal provinces of Vietnam within the coming hours,
Reuters on MSN6h
Satellite timelapse shows Typhoon Wipha making landfallTyphoon Wipha started building up over the South China Sea before hitting Hong Kong, Taiwan and China, and making its way towards Vietnam. Video credit: CSU/CIRA & JMA/JAXA
Rains from Typhoon Wipha pounded Hong Kong on Sunday as the storm skirted southwards before making landfall on the coast of China’s Guangdong province, leaving fallen trees and scaffolding and sending over 200 people to seek refuge at temporary shelters.