HANOI - UNSEASONAL floods in central Vietnam have killed at least five people and left three others missing and feared dead in recent days, national emergency services and state media reports said on Sunday.
Four men were swept away in floods and one woman drowned when her small fishing boat sank in a swollen river as heavy rains hit Quang Nam and Quang Ngai provinces, said the National Flood and Storm Control Committee in Hanoi.
More than 5,000 houses were destroyed or damaged, and almost 75,000 hectares of crops were under water, it said in an online report.
The death toll in the M/B Maejan sea tragedy off in Cagayan province rose to 31 as of Tuesday evening, a television report said.
QTV’s News on Q said that as search and rescue operations continue, authorities have confirmed that 31 bodies have been so far recovered.
According to the TV report, M/B Maejan tragedy appeared to be another case of overloading.
At least 28 people have been killed and 22 others are missing after an inter-island ferry capsized in northeastern Philippines.
The vessel, “Maejan,” carrying at least 96 passengers was approaching its destination in the town of Aparri in the Cagayan province after a seven-hour journey from Calayan islands when it overturned near the mouth of the Cagayan River on Sunday evening.
Initial reports said there were only 60 passengers onboard the ferry with 13 dead but these figures were later updated by the coast guard.
Authorities worked to contain oil spills after Hurricane Omar sank boats near the coasts of the Virgin Islands. St. Croix authorities were trying to contain oil spills after more than 40 boats sank or washed ashore during Hurricane Omar.
About half the vessels lost their anchors, including houseboats, catamarans and pricey yachts and sailboats owned by tourists. The other half were tied at marinas but broke loose, Carlos Fachette, enforcement director for the Department of Planning and Natural Resources, said Friday.
CHARLOTTE AMALIE, U.S. Virgin Islands - Schools and businesses closed and shelters opened Wednesday on several Caribbean islands in the path of Hurricane Omar, which could rev up to a Category 2 storm before coming ashore overnight.
U.S. Virgin Islands Gov. John deJongh closed all public schools, told government employees to head home at midmorning and imposed a 6 p.m. (2200 GMT) curfew on the islands of St. Thomas and St. John. He also activated the National Guard.
MIAMI, Florida (CNN) — Omar strengthen to a hurricane Tuesday night as it churned in Caribbean waters near Puerto Rico, the National Hurricane Center said.
Omar formed Tuesday in the eastern Caribbean and dumped heavy rain on the islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao off the coast of Venezuela. At 11 p.m. ET, its center was about 315 miles (505 km) south-southwest of San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The storm was moving northeast near 6 mph (9 kph).
MEXICO CITY - Hurricane Norbert weakened to Category 1 storm Thursday as it headed toward Mexico’s southern Baja California peninsula but was still expected to be a hurricane when it hits land over the weekend.
Mexico issued a hurricane watch for the southern half of the peninsula, including Cabo San Lucas. The watch meant hurricane conditions were possible within 36 hours.
Norbert’s winds have decreased to 90 mph (150 kph) after briefly hitting Category 4 force at 135 mph (215 kph) on Wednesday night, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami. Forecasters said it remains a dangerous storm.
MIAMI - A hurricane warning has been issued for the west coast of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula as a weakened Hurricane Norbert churns in the Pacific.
The warning area goes from Punta Andresito to Agua Blanca in Mexico.
By early Friday, Norbert’s maximum sustained winds had decreased to 85 mph. The hurricane is heading north-northwest but is expected to turn north-northeast during the day and head toward Mexico’s coast.
MEXICO CITY - Hurricane Norbert strengthened Wednesday to a powerful Category 3 storm in the Pacific Ocean and was forecast to hit Mexico’s Baja California peninsula by the weekend.
The hurricane was expected to turn toward the northeast over the next two days on a path that could take it over the southern Baja peninsula and the Mexican mainland, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said.
Norbert’s maximum sustained winds were near 125 mph (205 kph), and it was expected to remain a hurricane for the next two days.
VERACRUZ, Mexico - Tropical Storm Marco roared ashore on Mexico’s Gulf coast with near-hurricane force winds on Tuesday, prompting a shutdown of some oil platforms and forcing the evacuation of some 3,000 people.
Once over land, Marco quickly weakened to a tropical depression and was expected to dissipate as it moved over Mexico’s mountainous terrain. Forecasters still warned that rains of up to 5 inches could unleash mudslides.
The storm flooded coastal highways and brought heavy rains to the coast, including the city of Veracruz. But the busy port appeared to have escaped most of the storm’s wrath.
