Typhoon Kajiki hits Vietnam north-central coast, triggers floods

Typhoon Kajiki made landfall on Vietnam's north-central coast on Monday, bringing torrential rain, powerful winds and widespread flooding that have left parts of northern and central Vietnam and neighboring countries reeling. Officials said the storm uprooted trees, cut power in multiple provinces, damaged thousands of homes and inundated rice paddies, while reports of casualties and damage totals varied as emergency crews scrambled to respond.

Vietnam's national weather agency said Kajiki struck the coast between Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces, with wind speeds that were reported at different levels as the storm approached. Early readings showed gusts as high as 166 kilometers per hour, then eased to a range of about 118 to 149 kilometers per hour as the system made landfall. The agency warned some northern coastal areas could receive as much as 500 millimeters of rain in coming days and that intense downpours of up to 150 millimeters in six hours could trigger flash floods and landslides.

Casualty and damage figures have been inconsistent across reports. A government statement cited by officials initially put the toll in Vietnam at at least three dead and 10 injured, with...