HCMC – Central Vietnam has mobilized around 290,000 people and 3,000 means of transport to prepare for the impact of an approaching tropical storm, according to the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control.
Given the unexpected change of the Tropical Storm Sanba system, Pham Duc Luan, chief of staff of the committee, called a meeting yesterday morning to discuss coping solutions.
As of October 19, authorities had informed over 54,000 vessels of the storm, enabling them to take preventive measures.
About 1,984 boats with 7,759 fishermen on board in the waters from Quang Ninh to Quang Nam provinces have been warned about the storm, the fifth to hit Vietnam this year. It is approaching the Gulf of Tonkin, so these vessels must find shelter as soon as possible. Fishermen from Quang Binh, Quang Tri, and Quang Nam provinces have been advised against venturing out to sea.
“We are urging nearly 2,000 boats that are heading toward the coast to rush to shelters,” said the head of the Rescue and Relief team.
Regarding the two fishing boats carrying 93 fishermen from Quang Nam Province that were sunk by a tornado, as of this morning, 78 fishermen have been rescued, two have been reported dead, and 13 have remained missing.
Despite the adverse weather conditions, the rescue efforts are ongoing to locate the missing, according to a representative of the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control.
