At least 19 dead, many missing as Typhoon Damrey hits Vietnam

At least 19 people were killed after Typhoon Damrey swept into Vietnam just days ahead of the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting, according to the government.

Damrey made a landfall at 4 a.m. local time (2100 GMT on Friday) near the city of Nha Trang with winds gusting at up to 90 kmph (56 mph) and swept through Vietnam's central highlands region.

It is forecast to reach Cambodia's southern provinces on Saturday evening, but will still cause rain and winds in Vietnam's central region in the next few days.

At least 12 people were missing and over 370 houses had collapsed so far, the country's search and rescue committee said. Over 33,000 people had been evacuated.

There were reports of high winds and rain in central Da Nang city where the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting will take place next week. But there are no immediate reports of casualties.

Some 10,000 delegates, including leaders of APEC member economies, over 2,000 leading corporate executives and nearly 3,000 reporters are expected to attend the APEC week slated for Nov. 6-11.

(CGTN)