- Super typhoon injures 78 people in Vietnam.
- Authorities evacuate 50,000 people from coastal areas.
- Secondary schools closed, flights suspended in the country.
HAIPHONG, Vietnam (AP) — Asia's most powerful storm this year made landfall in northern Vietnam on Saturday, the weather agency said, killing at least four people after sweeping across China's Hainan island and into the Philippines.
Super Typhoon Yagi hit island districts in northern Vietnam around 1:00 p.m., packing winds of up to 160 km/h (99 mph) near its center, having lost power from its peak of 234 km/h (145 mph) in Hainan a day earlier.
The government said four people had been killed and 78 injured by the typhoon as of 5 p.m. At least a dozen others were missing at sea, according to state media.
Yagi had already claimed the lives of at least two people in Hainan and 16 people in the Philippines, the first country it hit, having formed east of the archipelago earlier in the week.
The Vietnamese coastal city of Haiphong, an industrial hub with a population of 2 million, was one of the hardest hit by winds of up to 90 km/h.
As the typhoon approached, the city experienced widespread power outages on Saturday, authorities said, as did at least three other northern provinces.
In Haiphong, strong winds shattered windows and waves reached three metres high when they hit the shore, according to a report. Reuters witness.
Sheets of metal roofing flew off and local media showed images and videos. The government said thousands of trees had fallen and many homes had been damaged in northern Vietnam.
Earlier in Hainan, with a population of more than 10 million, the storm toppled trees, flooded roads and knocked out power to more than 800,000 homes.
Airports and schools closed
Vietnam has evacuated more than 50,000 people from coastal cities and deployed 450,000 military personnel, the government said.
It also suspended operations for several hours at four airports on Saturday, including Noi Bai in Hanoi, the busiest in the north, cancelling more than 300 flights.
Secondary schools were also closed in 12 northern provinces, including the capital Hanoi, which has a population of 8.5 million.
Authorities in the capital suspended public transport by bus and the two elevated metro lines on Saturday afternoon, state media reported. The meteorological agency warned of the risk of severe flooding in the city centre.
