LOC10:59
07:59 GMT
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 30 (KUNA) -- A powerful typhoon tore through Vietnam inflicting wide-scale damage and killing at least 19 people, the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) monitored here reported on Tuesday.
At least 21 people were reported missing amid the raging "Bualoi" storm, marked by torrential rain that caused flooding throughout wide swaths of land in the north of the Asian country.
Vietnamese President General Luong Cuang ordered urgent relief for the afflicted population and expressed condolences to the victims' families.
Meanwhile, the Vietnamese meteorological authority said rain fell at a rate of 300 mm in several regions and cities, including the capital Hanoi, over the past 24 hours, warning of further gales, strong lightning and landslides.
According to a preliminary report released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, roofs of 105 houses were either ripped off or damaged while the deluge swamped some 3,400 residences, amid the floods that swept across more than 8,400 hectares of agricultural fields.
The typhoon started whipping the country on Monday, coupled with strong winds and heavy rainfall. (end)
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