Reuters
Saturday, September 27, 2008; 10:54 PM

HANOI (Reuters) - The death toll from a powerful typhoon that hit the
Philippines and China earlier in the week has jumped to 32 in Vietnam as
flash floods swept through villages, the government said on Sunday.

Thousands of homes were either washed away or destroyed in northern
Vietnam as typhoon Hagupit brought heavy rains and landslides, the
government's storm and flood prevention committee said in a report.

Hagupit, which means "lashing" in Filipino, killed at least eight people
in the Philippines and three in China where it triggered a
"once-in-a-century storm tide."

Five people were not yet accounted for since floods hit the northern
mountainous areas since Friday and 36 were injured, the government said.

Thousands of soldiers have been sent to rescue and evacuate thousands of
people out of areas vulnerable to more flash floods and landslides in
the mountainous provinces of Son La, Lang Son and Bac Giang.

More floods are expected in the Thai Binh river while water on the Red
River in the capital Hanoi is expected to cross the danger mark on
Sunday, rising to 8.6 meter (28 ft), the National Meteorology Centre's
forecast said.

The center also warned of more landslides in the northern mountainous
region as more rains were expected on Sunday.

Vietnam's main agriculture belt including the coffee-growing Central
Highlands region and the Mekong Delta rice basket was not on the storm's
path.

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