A DEADLY super storm packing 83mph winds smashed into Vietnam, killing nine people, leaving dozens missing and forcing mass evacuations.
Typhoon Bualoi made landfall just after midnight on Monday in Ha Tinh province, ripping off roofs, toppling power poles and flooding highways.
A view of Cua Lo beach damaged after typhoon Bualoi made a landfall in Nghe An province on Monday[/caption]
A corrugated iron roof blown off after typhoon Bualoi made a landfall in Nghe An province[/caption]
A woman rides a bicycle on a flooded street in Nghe An province, Vietnam[/caption]
Authorities had already evacuated 28,500 people, grounded fishing fleets and shut down four airports, including Danang International, as the storm raced in faster than forecast.
By late morning, the typhoon had weakened to a tropical storm with 46mph winds, but not before wreaking havoc across central provinces.
Six people died in Ninh Binh when homes collapsed under fierce gusts.
In Thanh Hoa, local official Nguyen Ngoc Hung was killed by a falling tree after a night of storm preparations.
A person drowned in Hue, and another died in Danang.
At sea, rescue crews were searching for 17 missing fishermen after massive waves smashed two boats off Quang Tri and another vanished in Gia Lai province.
“I’ve witnessed many storms, and this is one of the strongest,” said Nguyen Tuan Vinh, 45, as he cleared wreckage in Nghe An.
State media reported 347,000 households lost power as corrugated iron roofs were ripped away and concrete pillars toppled.
Crops covering 1,400 hectares were flooded, and temporary bridges swept out to sea cut off remote villages.
In the tourist hub Phong Nha, famous for its vast caves, residents stayed locked inside as the storm howled.
“No one dares to go out,” said local resident Le Hang.
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