A powerful typhoon in Vietnam has killed at least 35 people and left more than 50 missing, state media reported. At least 1.7 million people were left without power, as the typhoon set off landslides.
Officials said Typhoon Molave was the most powerful storm to strike the Southeast Asian country in 20 years. As it made landfall Wednesday, it ravaged a central area of the country that was already reeling from weeks of torrential rains that killed at least 160 people.
Hundreds of military personnel with heavy machinery were deployed to remote areas of Quang Nam province, where landslides killed at least 19 people and left 12 others missing.
Eight bodies were recovered Thursday morning in the province’s Tra Van village, where a hillside collapsed on houses, according to the Vietnam News Agency. About 45 kilometers away in Tra Leng village, eight more bodies were recovered after another landslide buried a community with several houses where about 45 people lived.
Another section of the hillside collapsed into a torrent of mud in the nearby Phuoc Loc district, killing three people.
Twelve fishermen were also killed after their boats sank Wednesday, as the typhoon approached with winds of up to 150 kilometers per hour.
Officials said the death toll in the country could rise because some regions have been unable to report casualties and details of damage.
Officials also said at least 40,000 people were evacuated to emergency shelters and that workplaces and schools were closed to prevent more casualties.
