Storm Prapiroon from the East Vietnam Sea has weakened into a tropical depression and landed in northern Vietnam’s Quang Ninh Province on Tuesday morning, the National Center for Hydrometeorological Forecasting reported.

At 10:00 am on Tuesday, the depression was centered in Quang Ninh, packing winds of 39-49 kph and gusts of 74 kph, and bringing heavy rains with rainfall reaching 310 mm.

The depression has gone deep inland in the direction of west-northwest at a speed of 5-10 kph and continued weakening into a low-pressure zone that will later dissipate in the northern mountainous areas, the center said.

According to initial reports, the tropical depression has knocked down many trees in many locations in Quang Ninh, sunk a small high-speed boat in the province’s Co To island district, and unroofed many leaf-roofed houses and shops in coastal and other areas.

The depression also damaged some plants, crops, advertising signs, and metal fences of some construction sites, among others.

According to the Ha Long City Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Search and Rescue, there was no report on casualties caused by the landing of the tropical depression by 8:00 am Tuesday.

Affected by the storm, the waters of the Gulf of Tonkin, including Bach Long Vi and Co To islands, have experienced rough seas with waves of two to three meters in height and strong winds reaching up to 61 kph and squalls up to 88 kph since Tuesday morning. 

At the same time, the coastal area between Quang Ninh and Hai Phong City has seen winds of 39-49 kph and gusts of 74 kph.

The center warned that medium to heavy rains and thunderstorms would strike the northern region and north-central Thanh Hoa Province with precipitation ranging from 50mm to over 300mm from early Tuesday morning through Wednesday evening.

At the same time, high tides may hit the coastal region from Quang Ninh to northern Nam Dinh Province and cause flooding in low-lying areas, the center warned.

According to the Quang Ninh Province Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Prevention and Control, the storm circulation may continue bringing prolonged heavy rain which is combined with high tides to cause flooding on the Ka Long River in the province’s Mong Cai City, submerging many low-lying areas from Tuesday afternoon and likely causing land collapse on seashores.

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan and leaders of Quang Ninh are scheduled to visit Mong Cai City on Tuesday to inspect and direct activities aimed at mitigating and overcoming the aftermath of the tropical depression.

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