Thousands flee as Typhoon Vamco nears Vietnam

HANOI: Thousands of people fled their homes in Vietnam on Saturday as Typhoon Vamco barrelled towards central regions already pummelled by weeks of successive storms.

Airports have been shut, beaches closed and a fishing ban put in place, as the country braces for winds of up to 100 kilometres (60 miles) per hour when the typhoon makes landfall on Sunday, likely close to Hue. A series of storms have hit central Vietnam over the past six weeks, causing flooding and landslides that have killed at least 159 people, authorities said, while 70 others are missing.

Roads and bridges have been washed away, power supplies disrupted, and crucial food crops destroyed, leaving at least 150,000 people at immediate risk of food shortages, it added.

"Each time they start rebuilding their lives and livelihoods, they are pummeled by yet another storm."