Vietnam braces for Typhoon Conson

Jul 17, 2010, 5:22 GMT

Hanoi - The Vietnamese government on Saturday instructed ministries and local authorities to prepare for Typhoon Conson, the first tropical storm to hit Vietnam this year.

The National Hydro-Meteorological Forecast Centre said Typhoon Conson, as of 4 am (2100 GMT), is 280 kilometers off the coast of Hai Phong and Nghe An provinces will hit several northern and central provinces, including Hanoi, Saturday night.

The typhoon, with wind gusts of up to 117 kilometers per hour, is expected to bring heavy rains, causing landslides and flash floods in mountainous provinces, the centre said.

The coastal province of Quang Ninh, the country's key coal mining area, has been also alerted over the danger of collapsing mines.

More than 52,000 fishing boats have been docked and authorities plan to evacuate 151,455 people by the evening.

The state run-Vietnam News reported the Border Guard High Command said it has been unable to contact 237 fishermen aboard 17 ships Ngai fishing in the Paracel archipelago.

At least six vessels have been reported to have sunk and another five are missing in the South China Sea.

Thousands of troops have been deployed to cope with the storm.

The typhoon killed at least 37 people in the Philippines.