‘Seagull’ Typhoon Ravages Philippines, Killing 188; Landfalls in Central Vietnam and Claims 5 Lives

Typhoon ‘Seagull’ swept across Vietnam in the early morning of the 7th, causing 5 deaths. Previously, ‘Seagull’ ravaged the Philippines, where the death toll has risen to 188 with 135 missing, and more than 2.25 million people affected.

‘Seagull’ recently brought record-breaking rainfall and flooding to central Philippines, sweeping away cars, trucks, and shipping containers, and later struck Vietnam in the evening of the 6th.

“The roof of the second floor of my house was blown off,” said 42-year-old fisherman Nguyen Van Tan from Vietnam’s Gia Lai Province. According to Vietnam’s Ministry of Environment, the typhoon made landfall in Gia Lai Province with sustained winds as high as 149 kilometers (92 miles) per hour.

Nguyen Van Tan said, “We’re all safe, but the typhoon was really terrifying—a lot of trees were blown down!”

Vietnamese authorities were still assessing the damage on the morning of the 7th, but the Ministry of Environment reported that at least 5 people had died, and 57 houses had collapsed in Gia Lai Province and neighboring Dak Lak Province.

The report also stated that nearly 3,000 houses had their roofs blown off or were damaged, and 11 boats sank.

The national power company stated that when the typhoon hit the central coastal region, it caused power outages for 1.6 million users. As of the morning of the 7th, one-third of these users had had power restored.

Vietnam’s 13th Typhoon This Year

The meteorological bureau stated that this fast-moving storm had moved inland by the morning of the 7th and its winds had significantly weakened, but most of the central coastal regions are still expected to experience heavy rainfall.

Central Vietnam has already been devastated by torrential rains and floods for over a week, resulting in 47 deaths, with the situation yet to recover, and now hit again by the ravages of a typhoon.

Vietnam is one of the world's most active regions for tropical cyclones; ‘Seagull’ is the 13th typhoon to make landfall in the country this year.