Typhoon Durian swept into southern Vietnam and killed at least 44 people, sinking hundreds of fishing boats and damaging houses, government officials said today.
Weather forecasters said the storm, which has winds up to 120 km per hour and heavy rains, took an unpredictable turn to strengthen and hit low-lying provinces of Vietnam's Mekong Delta rice-basket, raising concerns of severe flooding.
Durian, named after a strong-smelling spiky Asian fruit, could remain a typhoon for the next day, forecasters said. Vietnam Television showed footage of collapsed houses, fallen trees and electricity pylons as people struggled in wind and rain.
The storm was forecast to push westward toward Thailand, the Malaysian peninsula and into the Andaman Sea.
It has been reported that 18,812 houses were damaged or destroyed and 858 boats sank.
Vietnamese authorities evacuated tens of thousands of people from vulnerable south and central areas before the arrival of Durian, which slammed into the Philippines one notch below a category five super-typhoon on Thursday.
Today, disaster officials raised the toll to 526 dead and 740 missing in three regions of the Philippines hit by Durian, the fourth typhoon in three months.