Nearly 74,000 people were evacuated in Vietnam on Monday, and thousands more may be moved to safety soon as Typhoon Tembin approaches the country after killing over 230 people in the Philippines just before Christmas, Reuters reported.
The typhoon triggered landslides and floods in Mindanao, the second-largest island of the Philippines, over the weekend. It is likely to hit Vietnam late on Monday, and will be the 16th major storm to hit the country this year.
“Vietnam must ensure the safety of its oil rigs and vessels,” Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc
was quoted as saying. “If necessary, close the oil rigs and evacuate workers.” The government also warned that about 62,000 fishing boats should not venture out to the sea.
The government also asked schools to close in Ho Chi Minh City on Monday.
Meanwhile, scores are missing in the Philippines even as rescue workers struggle to reach remote areas hit by floods and landslides. The toll is expected to rise further. Tens of thousands of people on Mindanao were displaced by the storm.
Tembin hit the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea on Sunday, though no casualties were reported.
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