Rescue effort stepped up as storm death toll rises

The death toll from Tropical Storm Mirinae rose to 57 today as Vietnamese authorities increased their rescue and relief operations.

Dang Thi Lanh, disaster official in the hardest-hit province of Phu Yen, says 24 more deaths were reported in the province as information trickled in from isolated areas. An additional 18 people were reported missing.

Elsewhere in the region, the storm and its subsequent flooding left another 18 people dead and seven others missing, according to the government’s website.