Hundreds of thousands of people have been evacuated, and airports and schools closed as Vietnam prepares for its strongest typhoon this year.
Typhoon Kajiki, which has winds of up to 103mph, was due to hit Vietnam‘s central Thanh Hoa and Ha Tinh on Monday.
It has already caused devastation in southern China, with strong winds and heavy rain on Hainan Island and parts of Guangdong province on Sunday. Some 20,000 people were evacuated from high-risk areas, according to China’s Xinhua News Agency.
One man died in Nghe An province on Friday after being electrocuted while trying to secure his roof, the agency reported.
In Vietnam, there were plans to evacuate 600,000 people and 152,000 homes across Thanh Hoa, Quang Tri, and Danang provinces, state media reported.
The government has also mobilised 16,500 soldiers and 107,000 paramilitary personnel to assist with evacuations and rescue missions.
Two airports, one in Thanh Hoa and the other in Quang Binh province, were closed, the country’s civil aviation authority said, and boats were ordered not to leave their ports.
Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet have also cancelled dozens of flights in the region, the operators confirmed.
A government spokesperson warned on Sunday night: “This is an extremely dangerous, fast-moving storm.”
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After moving through Vietnam, it is expected to move inland across Laos and northern Thailand.
Vietnam’s coastline on the South China Sea is particularly prone to storms that often trigger deadly flooding and landslides.
Kajiki is due to be more powerful than Typhoon Yagi, which killed 300 people and caused £2.4bn in damage last year.
Cyclones forming closer to land
A study published last year warned that climate change will cause southeast Asian cyclones to form closer to land, strengthening faster and lasting for longer, putting more lives at risk.
Professor of Earth Science Benjamin P. Horton, of City University Hong Kong, said: “It’s frightening to see our projections from just last year already materialising. We are no longer predicting the future – we are living it.”
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China’s southernmost province downgraded its emergency response alert on Monday morning but warned of further disruption and damage.
People in the holiday resort of Sanya on Hainan Island were forced to take shelter on Sunday evening with broken trees and damaged buildings reported on Monday.
