</s>HANOI, Vietnam — Typhoon Doksuri slammed into central Vietnam Friday, killing one person and injuring 10 others as it dumped rain and strong winds that ripped off roofs and electricity poles.

Packing maximum sustained winds of 135 kilometres (84 miles) per hour, the typhoon made landfall in Ha Tinh province, beating down on six coastal districts, destroying roofs on some 62,500 houses and downing trees and utility poles, said disaster official Ngo Duc Hoi.

In the neighbouring province of Quang Binh, farther south, a man fell to his death when he tried to reinforce his house while 10 other people were injured by falling trees or debris, a disaster official said, adding that another 50,000 homes were damaged with mostly tin roofs blown away.

The typhoon had gusts of up to 185 kph (115 mph).

The whole province was blacked out as authorities cut off power ahead of the typhoon. Isolated flooding was reported in some villages.

Doksuri swept through the Philippines on Tuesday as a less powerful tropical depression, killing at least four people and leaving another six missing.

The Vietnam Disaster Management Authority said in a report that as of early Friday morning, 79,000 villagers in high risk areas in five central provinces had been evacuated and another 210,000 were to be moved to safety ahead of the typhoon.

Forecasters have warned of flash floods and landslides in some parts of the country's northern and central regions. The typhoon is expected to weaken before dissipating in northern Laos early Saturday.

Vietnam, a country of 93 million people, is prone to floods and storms that kill hundreds of people each year.

By The Associated Press</s>HANOI, Vietnam >> Typhoon Doksuri slammed into central Vietnam on Friday, killing four people and injuring 10 others as heavy rains and strong winds ripped off roofs and knocked over many electricity poles.

Blackouts were widespread and technicians tried to restore power. Flooding was reported in some villages.

Packing maximum sustained winds of 84 miles per hour, the typhoon made landfall in Ha Tinh province, pounding six coastal districts and destroying the roofs of 62,500 houses, disaster official Ngo Duc Hoi said.

In the neighboring province of Quang Binh, farther south, a man fell to his death when he tried to reinforce his house and an elderly man fell to the ground in his yard and died of head injuries, said disaster official Nguyen Duc Toan. 10 other people were injured by falling trees or debris, he added. Another 50,000 homes were damaged.

Disaster official Tran Xuan Binh in Nghe An province, north of Ha Tinh, said an 83-year-old woman died after being hit by falling debris, while in Thua Thien Hue province, south of Quang Binh, a man was swept away and died in a swollen river.

The typhoon had gusts of up to 115 mph.

Doksuri swept through the Philippines on Tuesday as a less powerful tropical depression, killing at least four people and leaving another six missing.

The Vietnam Disaster Management Authority said as of early Friday, 79,000 villagers in high risk areas in five central provinces had been evacuated and another 210,000 were to be moved to safety ahead of the typhoon.

Forecasters also warned of flash floods and landslides in some parts of the country’s northern and central regions. The typhoon was expected to weaken before dissipating in northern Laos early Saturday.

Vietnam, a country of 93 million people, is prone to floods and storms that kill hundreds of people each year.</s>HANOI, Vietnam (AP) - Typhoon Doksuri has slammed into central Vietnam with maximum sustained winds of 135 kilometers (84 miles) per hour, blowing off roofs, felling trees and electricity poles.

Disaster official Ngo Duc Hoi in Ha Tinh province, where the typhoon made landfall Friday, says six coastal districts are feeling the brunt of the typhoon.

There are no immediate reports of casualties amid gusts of up to 185 kph (115 mph) and heavy rain.

Vietnamese villagers move a fishing boat on shore in northern Thanh Hoa province, Vietnam, Thursday, Sept. 14, 2017. Vietnam on Thursday was bracing for typhoon Doksuri, which is expected to be the most powerful tropical cyclone to hit the Southeast Asian country in several years. (Trinh Duy Hung/Vietnam News Agency via AP)

Forecasters have warned of flash floods and landslides in some parts of the country's northern and central regions.

Vietnamese workers remove fallen trees on a street in central city of Hue, Vietnam, Thursday, Sept. 14, 2017. Vietnam on Thursday was bracing for Typhoon Doksuri, which is expected to be the most powerful tropical cyclone to hit the Southeast Asian country in several years. (Ho Cau/Vietnam News Agency via AP)</s>Typhoon Doksuri wreaked havoc on central Vietnam today, lashing the coast with fierce winds and heavy rains as tens of thousands were evacuated and three people were reported dead in the country's worst storm in years.

 

 Trees and billboards were torn down and thousands of homes damaged as the storm made landfall Friday, causing flooding and power outages along a large swathe of coastline.

 

 "The roof of my house was blown off and all the bricks are gone. Here at my small shop, cakes, candies, bread and noodles are all wet," Phan Thi Lan, a vendor in badly hit Ha Tinh province, told AFP.

 

 "I don't know how I'll ever have enough money to fix our house," she said, as rain pounded down.

 

 Roads were mostly deserted in Ha Tinh province, though emergency vehicles were seen speeding toward the coast, according to an AFP reporter at the scene. Elsewhere in the province, a large telecommunications tower collapsed, reported state-run Vietnam Television (VTV).

 

 More than 79,000 people were evacuated across the four provinces expected to be worst affected, the Vietnam Disaster Management Authority said.

 

 Those who remained in the area fled desperately for safety.

 

 "I have never seen such a bad storm. The roof of my house was blown away and the houses of many of my neighbours were also damaged. I ran here to the petrol station," construction worker Nguyen Van Tai told AFP.

 

 Vietnam's central coast is routinely lashed by storms, especially during tropical storm season from May to October. But disaster management officials predicted that Doksuri would be the worst to hit Vietnam in a decade.

 

 By midday today more than 5,000 homes were damaged or destroyed in Quang Binh province, where one person was also reported killed, according to the province's deputy chairman Le Minh Ngan, speaking on VTV.

 

 Another man died in Hue province when a river swept him away following heavy rains, officials said. A third was killed after he was knocked over by heavy rains in Ha Tinh province, according to state media.

 

 The storm packed wind speeds of up to 90 kilometres per hour (56 miles per hour), and was expected to weaken throughout the day as it moved toward Laos, according to the Vietnam National Hydro-meteorological Service.

 

 Officials earlier said they were still moving people from their homes and had ordered boats ashore.

 

 "The number one priority is ensuring people's safety," Agriculture Minister Nguyen Xuan Cuong said on VTV.

 

 Several flights to the area were cancelled today, and most schools were closed as residents hunkered down.

 

 "The kids stayed at home and there's not much in the markets. I bought enough instant noodles for the family, so I think we're good," Nghe An resident Nguyen Thi Hue, 58, told AFP.

 

 The Vietnam Red Cross Society said it was donating USD 45,000 and sending essential supplies to the area along with volunteers to help affected residents.</s>HA TINH, Vietnam, Sept 15 (Reuters) - Typhoon Doksuri lashed central Vietnam on Friday, tearing roofs from houses, knocking out power and causing localised flooding, in the country's most powerful storm in years.

Nearly 80,000 people have been evacuated from coastal regions in preparation for Doksuri. Winds exceeded 130 km (80 miles) per hour, according to Vietnam's meteorological agency.

The state news agency said the roofs had been blown from 260 houses in the ancient city of Hue. Electricity was knocked out in parts of Ha Tinh and Quang Binh provinces after the wind brought down power lines along with trees and billboards.

Four fishing boats sank as they were making their way back to land, state radio said. Many fishermen had dragged their small wooden boats into the streets of coastal towns to try to stop them from being carried away.

Streets in parts of Ha Tinh province were flooded. Airlines said 46 flights were cancelled between the capital, Hanoi, in northern Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City, the commercial hub in the south.

Vietnam's disaster prevention committee has said the storm surge from Doksuri could be greater than 2 metres (2.2 yards).

There were no immediate reports of deaths on Friday, but one person drowned in central Vietnam on Thursday after flooding caused by heavy rain that preceded Doksuri.

Vietnam often suffers from destructive storms. Floods in northern Vietnam killed at least 26 people and washed away hundreds of homes in August. Last year, more than 200 people were killed in storms. (Writing by Matthew Tostevin; Editing by Christopher Cushing)</s>HANOI, Vietnam — Typhoon Doksuri slammed into central Vietnam Friday with maximum sustained winds of 135 kilometres (84 miles) per hour, blowing off roofs, felling trees and electricity poles.

Disaster official Ngo Duc Hoi in Ha Tinh province, where the typhoon made landfall Friday, said six coastal districts were feeling the brunt of the storm.

There are no immediate reports of casualties amid gusts of up to 185 kph (115 mph) and heavy rain.

Agriculture Minister Nguyen Xuan Cuong told state television VTV that people’s safety was the government’s top priority.

Doksuri swept through the Philippines on Tuesday as a less powerful tropical depression, killing at least four people and leaving another six missing.

The Vietnam Disaster Management Authority said in a report that as of early Friday morning, 79,000 villagers in high risk areas in five central provinces had been evacuated and another 210,000 were to be moved to safety ahead of the typhoon.

Forecasters have warned of flash floods and landslides in some parts of the country’s northern and central regions. The typhoon is expected to weaken before dissipating in northern Laos early Saturday.

Vietnam, a country of 93 million people, is prone to floods and storms that kill hundreds of people each year.</s>Shaken residents in central Vietnam were piecing their homes and businesses back together Saturday (Sep 16) after a powerful typhoon hammered large swathes of coast and killed at least four people.

HA TINH, Vietnam: Shaken residents in central Vietnam were piecing their homes and businesses back together Saturday (Sep 16) after a powerful typhoon hammered large swathes of coast and killed at least four people.

Typhoon Doksuri tore through Vietnam on Friday afternoon, reducing structures to piles of debris and knocking out electricity and telecommunications in several provinces, in one of the worst storms to hit the country in years.

Residents woke up Saturday to the widespread destruction in normally idyllic coastal communities popular among beachgoers.

"I sat inside my house covering my ears, I didn't dare leave as I was so scared," Mai Thi Tinh, whose restaurant in Ha Tinh province was completely destroyed, told AFP.

"The power is still off so we can't do anything. I don't know how long it will take to recover," she told AFP.

At least four people were killed and eight injured, according to Vietnam's Disaster Management Authority.

Some 123,000 homes were damaged and trees and power lines were torn down in five hard-hit provinces, the disaster agency said.

"The wind was so bad that I hid under the bed. I'm old but I'm afraid of death," 70-year-old retired teacher Tran Ngoc Khang told AFP in Ha Tinh.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc visited the hard-hit province on Saturday to survey the damage.

"We have to quickly mobilise forces to repair houses and damaged schools ... We have to ensure people can get back to normal life," he said on state-run Vietnam Television.

Nearly 80,000 people were evacuated as the storm bore down while the government deployed a quarter of a million troops and a fleet of vehicles and ships.

Vietnam's central coast is routinely lashed by storms, especially during tropical storm season from May to October.

It has already been hit by severe weather this year, with 140 people dead or missing in natural disasters since January, according to official figures.

Forecasters warned of a risk of flooding and landslides as the storm swept through central and northern Vietnam, bringing with it heavy rains.</s>NGHE AN , Vietnam: Heavy rain and wind lashed Vietnam’s central coast Friday as Typhoon Doksuri made landfall, prompting mass evacuations as officials predicted it could be the most powerful storm in a decade.

Trees were torn down and local authorities cut power in some areas to avoid accidents as residents who remained in their homes hunkered down.

“The kids stayed at home and there’s not much in the markets. I bought enough instant noodles for the family, so I think we’re good,” Nghe An resident Nguyen Thi Hue, 58, told Agence France-Presse.

The storm clocked 165 kilometer per hour (102 miles per hour) winds before it reached the coast Friday morning, according to the Hong Kong Observatory, which classified Doksuri as a “severe typhoon.”

One person died in Hue province when he was swept away in a river following heavy rains in the area, according to the local government’s website.

A three-year-old child was also injured after the roof blew off her house, the website added.

More than 79,000 people were evacuated across four provinces expected to be hardest hit, the Vietnam Disaster Management Authority said. It earlier predicted the storm could be the worst to hit Vietnam in a decade.

Officials also ordered all boats and residents to stay onshore.

“The provinces are focusing on evacuating remaining households to ensure people’s safety,” Agriculture Minister Nguyen Xuan Cuong said on state-run Vietnam Television (VTV).

“We also need to encourage fishermen to leave their boats, it could be harmful to their lives,” he added.

The storm reached Ha Tinh and Quang Binh provinces Friday morning, according to VTV, with neighbouring Nghe An and Quang Tri provinces also expected to be battered.

Dozens of flights to the area were cancelled, and most schools were closed.

The Vietnam Red Cross Society said it was donating $45,000 and sending essential supplies to the area along with volunteers who were helping people leave their homes.

The government said Thursday it had 250,000 soldiers on standby along with a fleet of vehicles and boats at the ready.

Vietnam is routinely hit by tropical storms from around May to October, with its central coast most frequently affected.

The Southeast Asian nation has already been hit by severe weather this year, with 140 people dead or missing in natural disasters since January, according to official figures.</s>HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Typhoon Doksuri has slammed into central Vietnam with maximum sustained winds of 135 kilometers (84 miles) per hour, blowing off roofs, felling trees and electricity poles.

Disaster official Ngo Duc Hoi in Ha Tinh province, where the typhoon made landfall Friday, says six coastal districts are feeling the brunt of the typhoon.

There are no immediate reports of casualties amid gusts of up to 185 kph (115 mph) and heavy rain.

Forecasters have warned of flash floods and landslides in some parts of the country's northern and central regions.
Typhoon Doksuri (Maring) hits central Vietnam killing one person and injuring ten.