Vietnam braces for Typhoon Wipha as search continues for missing Halong Bay tourists

Vietnam has put its northern coastal provinces on emergency footing ahead of Typhoon Wipha, warning of floods and landslides while rescuers hunt for survivors of a tourist-boat disaster that has already claimed more than 30 lives in Halong Bay.

Typhoon Wipha is forecast to sweep ashore between Quang Ninh and Ninh Binh provinces early on Tuesday, bringing heavy rain, gale-force winds and the risk of “flash floods and urban inundation,” the national weather agency said.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, in an urgent message issued on Sunday night, ordered local authorities to call fishing boats into port, evacuate low-lying districts, stockpile food and secure communications networks.

“This is a strong and fast-moving typhoon,” he said, warning of possible landslides in nearby mountain regions.

The storm threatens to hamper the search for passengers still missing after a tourist vessel capsized during a thunderstorm in Halong Bay on Saturday, killing more than 30 people, according to provincial officials.

Airlines have begun cancelling services. Flag-carrier Vietnam Airlines and subsidiary Pacific Airlines have scrapped at least nine domestic flights scheduled for Monday, while budget carrier Vietjet grounded 12 services, including several to South Korea, and cautioned that further delays were likely.

Vietnam, whose 3,200-kilometre coastline faces the South China Sea, endures more than a dozen tropical storms each year. Last year Typhoon Yagi killed about 300 people and caused an estimated $3.3 billion in damage.

At the weekend Wipha felled trees and scaffolding in Hong Kong, forcing more than 200 people to seek refuge in temporary shelters, the city’s government said.

Emergency teams in Quang Ninh, home to Halong Bay, have pre-positioned rescue boats and medical supplies, while neighbouring provinces reported moving sandbags and generators to hospitals and evacuation centres. Authorities urged residents to follow official bulletins and avoid spreading unverified information on social media.

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