Typhoon Mirinae Kills 16 in Central Vietnam 

2009-11-03 10:49

 

Typhoon Mirinae has packed a punch to Vietnam's central coast on Monday the 2nd. Heavy rains to the nearby coffee-growing region has disrupted early harvesting.

At least 16 people have died, mainly in Phu Yen province and dozens remain missing as Mirinae slammed into six provinces.

The government said nearly 8,000 people were evacuated in the central region before the typhoon arrived.

In Da Nang, rescuers saved 12 crewmembers of a Chinese cargo ship carrying 250 tons of steel from China to Ho Chi Minh City. It encountered problems and sank on Tuesday morning, November 3.

Heavy rains on the central highlands of Daklak and Lam Dong disrupted farmers’ drying of coffee beans.

Vietnam is the world's second-largest coffee producer after Brazil.

The national weather bureau has forecast rain in the next 24 hours in the southern part of the central highlands coffee belt. The typhoon will weaken to a tropical low pressure system and move west-southwest towards Cambodia.