Rescue workers searching for missing people on Oshima Island, a remote island off Tokyo, Japan, 18 October 2013. Typhoon Wipha brought heavy rain and strong winds in central and eastern Japan on 16 October. Twenty-three people died and 26 people remained missing after mudslides on Oshima island, about 120 kilometers south of Tokyo, the National Police Agency has said. EPA/KIMIMASA MAYAMA
At least five people have died and another 13 have been reported missing after typhoon Wipha slammed into Vietnam’s northern coast, authorities reported on Monday.
The worst-hit province was Thanh Hoa, where three were killed and 12 reported missing, according to a statement by the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention.
Most of the missing were from Quan Son district, where an entire village was destroyed by fast-flowing water.
One person was also reported dead in the mountainous province of Bac Kan and another in Dien Bien province.
Typhoon Wipha made landfall at around 10pm (3pm GMT) on Thursday in Quang Ninh province, home of the UNESCO World Heritage site Halong Bay, and the neighbouring city of Haiphong.
It weakened into a tropical depression on Saturday, with rain continuously falling in the capital Hanoi on Sunday, causing some flooding.
Around 800 soldiers from the army and national militia have been deployed to assist with disaster relief in the northeastern provinces, where communities are expected to experience more dangerous flash floods and rockslides in the coming days.
Up to 400 millimetres of rain was reported in northern Vietnam over the weekend, with another 100 millimetres expected on Monday.
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