World News – UA – Typhoon Molave: Rescuers scramble to find dozens buried under landslides in Vietnam

At least 15 deaths already confirmed in central Quang Nam province following torrential rains caused by the strongest storm in decades

Rescue teams in Vietnam used heavy machinery to search for survivors buried under landslides triggered by torrential rains from Typhoon Molave, one of the strongest typhoons to hit the region in decades, the government said

The landslides, which hit remote areas in central Quang Nam province a day earlier, killed at least 15 people and 38 people are missing as rescue efforts hampered by bad weather in the end of the storm, the government said

Hundreds of soldiers enlisted in the disaster area unearthed eight bodies Thursday morning in Tra Van, in south-central Quang Nam province, where a hill collapsed on houses Victims had taken refuge in the community as the typhoon approached, Vietnam’s official news agency reported

In Tra Leng, another village about 45 km (28 miles) from Tra Van, another landslide buried a community with several houses occupied by around 45 people, four of whom managed to escape. Rescuers have recovered three bodies and are scrambling to save more, Vietnam News said

Tra Leng remains inaccessible due to damaged roads and other landslides, and government disaster response teams were using bulldozers and excavators to clear a road and bring in more rescuers and heavy equipment

Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung visited the site where soldiers were clearing a landslide with bulldozers and ordered officers to urgently bring troops to the landslide-affected village ground

« We must reach the site of the landslide as quickly as possible First, send more soldiers before we can get the big machine there. We must reach the area by all means, including by using helicopters, ”he said

In all, 19 people died in the storms and a total of 64 are missing, including 26 crew members of two fishing boats that sank on Wednesday as the typhoon approached with winds of up to 150 km (93 miles) per hour

Since the beginning of October, Vietnam has been hit by storms, heavy rains and floods that have affected more than a million people

The government says Typhoon Molave ​​left millions without power and damaged 56,000 homes

Molave ​​weakened to a tropical depression after making landfall on Wednesday and is expected to reach Laos by Thursday

Heavy rain of up to 700 millimeters (275 inches) will continue in parts of central Vietnam until Saturday, the Vietnamese weather agency said

Typhoon, landslide, central Vietnam, tropical cyclone