Killer Typhoon slams into Vietnam

Typhoon Xangsane landed in central Vietnam this morning, knocking down trees and electricity poles and causing widespread blackouts in the region, officials said.

No casualties have been reported yet, said Bui Minh Tang, director of the national weather centre.

“This is one of the most powerful typhoons to hit Vietnam since 1995,” he said. The typhoon weakened slightly before landing on central city of Danang, a city of 770,000 people, around 9am (2am Irish time).

It was packing winds of up to 117km per hour. An official at the regional Flood and Storm Control Department in Danang said there were widespread blackouts in the region. No casualties have yet been reported, he added. National carrier Vietnam Airlines said it had cancelled 48 domestic flights, and trains with thousands of passengers were stuck in the region.

Czech President Vaclav Klaus, who was in Vietnam for a five-day visit, cancelled his planned trip to the ancient town of Hoi An, a world cultural heritage site just south of Danang.

Typhoon Xangsane killed at least 63 people and left about 70 missing in the Philippines earlier this week before it crossed the South China Sea and made landfall in Vietnam.