Typhoon 'Kalmaegi' Slams Vietnam After Killing Dozens in the Philippines

Typhoon Kalmegi slammed into Vietnam Thursday with winds reaching 149 kilometers per hour, forcing authorities to cancel hundreds of flights and order residents to stay indoors. The storm killed at least 114 people in the Philippines just two days earlier before moving west across the South China Sea.

The typhoon tore roofs off houses, uprooted trees, and knocked down communication towers as it made landfall along Vietnam's central coast. Vietnam's National Weather Service reported waves reaching 10 meters high as the storm hit coastal areas.

Officials shut down six airports across the country while more than 260,000 people in Gia Lai province were moved to safer locations. This marks the 13th typhoon to hit Vietnam this year and ranks among the strongest storms the country has faced in 2024.

The government put over 268,000 soldiers on standby for search and rescue operations. Weather officials warned about potential flooding in low-lying areas and significant damage to agricultural regions, which could affect food supplies and local economies.

Vietnam typically faces multiple typhoons each year during the monsoon season, but Kalmegi's strength and the death toll from its path through the Philippines highlight the growing intensity of storms in the region. The country's disaster response system, built through years of dealing with similar events, mobilized quickly with mass evacuations and military deployment.

The storm's impact on Vietnam's central provinces could disrupt rice production and other crops during a critical growing season. With hundreds of flights canceled and major airports closed, the economic disruption extends beyond agriculture to tourism and business travel in affected regions.