Tropical storm Pakhar over the East Sea is moving towards Binh Thuan Province with winds of 75-102 kph and may hit the province tonight, the national hydro-meteorological forecasting center has warned.

The expected route of tropical storm Pakhar , Photo: NHCMF

Yesterday evening, the storm was centered 200 km east-by-southeast of Binh Thuan’s Phu Quy Island and continued going west-by-northwest at 5-10 kph, the center reported.

At 4 pm today, the storm is expected to lay 150 km east-southeast of Ninh Thuan and Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, with winds of up to 102 kph and gust of 117-132 kph.

If its current route and speed remain unchanged, the storm will hit Binh Thuan, which is located on the country's south central coast, tonight, Tran The Kiem, deputy head of the short-term forecasting division of the center, warned. 

After its landing, the storm will be weakened and fade away, Kiem said.

Currently the sea north of Truong Sa (Spratly) Island and the sea between Binh Dinh and Ba Ria-Vung Tau have winds of 75 kph with gusts of up to 87-102 kph. 

Medium to heavy rains and floods are expected to occur in coastal provinces from Binh Dinh to Binh Thuan today.

Yesterday noon a fishing boat with 14 fishermen on board sank off Truong Sa Island after it was hit by violent waves caused by the storm.

All the crew then used canoes that had been brought along with the boat to try to get ashore. They were later saved by another fishing boat owned by a fisherman of Ly Son Island District, Quang Ngai Province.

Yesterday evening, Binh Thuan province authorities held an online urgent meeting with relevant agencies, asking them to ban all boats from going out to sea and call boats at sea to take shelter.

Ninh Thuan Province authorities have mobilized more than 1,000 people to implement a plan to cope with the storm. A number of rescue canoes and helicopters have also been put in place for emergency cases. 

Yesterday more than 3,200 boats with over 27,200 fishermen were still operating at sea, the Flood and Storm Prevention and Control Center for Central Region and Central Highlands reported, adding that all of them had been asked to go ashore or take shelters. 

In HCMC, the Steering Board for Flood and Storm Prevention and Control yesterday afternoon sent an urgent dispatch to Can Gio coastal district authorities, asking them to ban all boats from going to sea from 0 am March 31 until further notice.

Source: Tuoitrenews