Airports shut, thousands flee as storm slams Vietnam

[HANOI] The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam on Sunday (Sep 28) suspended operations at four coastal airports, including in Danang, and the authorities ordered mass evacuations as Tropical Storm Bualoi barrelled into the South-east Asian country.

Northern and central coastal regions are expected to be hit with downpours ranging from 100 millimetres to exceeding 600 mm till Tuesday, according to the government. It warned of possible flash floods and landslides, threatening lives and destroying infrastructure.

Officials in Danang planned to evacuate more than 210,000, while Nghe An officials moved more than 6,000 people away from the storm’s path, according to state media.

Danang flights were halted from 6 am to 11 am on Sunday, while Dong Hoi Airport in Quang Tri province was set to close from 1 pm until 10 pm, according to the aviation authority. The city of Hue’s facility had planned to suspend operations from 8 am to 2 pm, according to the report.

Tho Xuan Airport in Thanh Hoa province was likely to be closed from 10 pm on Sunday till 7 am on Monday.

Flight operations could change further, depending on the storm’s impact, the agency said. 

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The storm, which led to 13 deaths in the Philippines, had already triggered heavy rains causing flooding in Hue ahead of Sunday’s landfall, Tuoi Tre newspaper reported. Officials drew up plans to evacuate 32,000 people, the newspaper said in a separate report. BLOOMBERG