Packing maximum winds of 102 kph and gusts of up to 133 kph, Typhoon Nari struck the central Da Nang-Quang Nam region at 6 am this morning, uprooting trees, causing power outage and damaging houses and public works. At least four people have died and dozens of others injured due to the storm.

>> Central Vietnam braces for typhoon, 2 die in Thua Thien-Hue

The typhoon's center was in Da Nang, where last night's powerful winds damaged the city’s electric supply, causing a power outage across the city since 8 pm, the National Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting Center reported. Violent winds together with rainstorms uprooted trees, knocked down the electric grid and blew numerous roofs off houses, causing debris on many streets including Tran Phu, Nguyen Du, Ly Tu Trong and Nguyen Chi Thanh.

The landfall has brought torerential rains to the region, with rainfalls reaching 373 mm in Quang Ngai province’s Ly Son Island, 246 mm in Nam Dong (Hue), and 220 mm in Tam Ky (Quang Nam).

Rainstorms and whirlwinds smashed the coastal area south of the Hai Van Pass, which links Da Nang and  Thua Thien-Hue province. Strong waves rushed to the shore and residential areas, uprooting trees, collapsing  houses and sweeping everything on its way.  

Fallen trees are seen on a street in Da Nang while the city's power supply has been cut off (Photo: Tuoi Tre)

The entire city has been submerged in water and many restaurants on Truong Sa and Hoang Sa streets have been knocked down.

In the ancient town of Hoi An, Quang Nam province, heavy rains and gusts have been raging there since last night, flooding the town and devastating many houses and roads in coastal areas.

The Cua Dai Ward People's Committe reported that many families have been exposed to danger after their houses lost roofs to the squall. "We have asked them to move to secure houses of their neighbors for safety," said Le Cong Sy, deputy chairman of the committee.

Violent winds blow roofs off numerous houses in Quang Nam this morning (Photo: Tuoi Tre)

A house is totally collapsed due to the typhoon (Photo: Tuoi Tre)

In Thua Thien-Hue, a 25-year-old man in Loc Vinh Commune, Phu Loc District, was injured after he was cut by a falling roofing sheet, authorities reported.

Some electric poles collapsed and a large tree was uprooted in Da Nang at about 8:00 am. They fell on the North-South railway that runs through the city, blocking the route.  

Numerous trees are uprooted due to squall, blocking traffic in Da Nang (Photo: Tuoi Tre)

Fallen trees are seen on Bach Dang Street, Da Nang (Photo: Tuoi Tre)

At 8:00 am Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat convened an urgent meeting to review the situation in central provinces after the typhoon's landfall.

According to a report, the typhoon has injured at least 11 people in Da Nang alone.

In a report issued at 11:30 am Tuesday,  the National Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting Center reported that heavy rains will continue in many central provinces, with rainfalls measuring 659 mm in Bach Ma (Hue, 396 mm in Ly Son (Quang Ngai). 345 mm in Nam Dong (Hue) and 219 mm in A Luoi (Hue).

Debris is seen on Son Tra peninsula in Da Nang (Photo: Tuoi Tre)

At 10 am Wednesday,typhoon will be seen in the Vietnam-Laos border, packing winds of 62-74 kph and gusts of 75-102 kph.

In the next 24 hours, the typhoon will move between west and west-southwest at  a speed of 15 km and weaken into a tropical depression and then to a low pressure system.

At 10 am Thursday, October 16, the system will be centered in southeastern Thailand, with winds of less than 39 kph. It will continue to weaken and then dissipate.

As of this afternoon, the typhoon has killed at least 4 people, injured dozens of others, and damaged thousands of houses, roads and other traffic infrastructure, the Center said.

A large tree is uprooted in the ancient town of Hoi An in Quang Nam (Photo: Tuoi Tre)

The Da Nang General Hospital has received tens of victims of the disaster, from Son Tra, Ngu Hanh Son and Lien Chieu Districts in Da Nang and from Dien Ban, Que Son and Dai Loc Districts in Quang Nam.

At noon Tuesday, the authorities of Quang Nam's Hoi An Town People's Committee evacuated more than 1,500 people in flooded areas to safe places.

Workers are cleaning up fallen trees on streets in Hoi An town (Photo: Tuoi Tre)