Family killed in landslide as Yagi hits Vietnam

Super Typhoon Yagi hits Vietnam on Satarday 

Four members of the same family were killed in a landslide caused by Super Typhoon Yagi after the powerful storm devastated Vietnam. 

State media reported that the tragedy occurred around midnight local time (6pm Saturday BST) in the mountainous province of Hoa Binh in northern Vietnam. 

AFP reported that a 51-year-old man managed to escape his home, but a mountain collapse buried his wife, daughter and two grandchildren. 

Yagi was the strongest storm to hit Asia this year, killing at least 14 people and injuring 176, according to Vietnamese state media. 

Strong winds and flying debris damaged buildings and vehicles in the capital Hanoi, and fallen trees caused power outages. 

The storm hit Hai Phong and Quang Ninh provinces on Saturday morning with winds of up to 203 kph, according to the Indo-Pacific Tropical Cyclone Warning Center. 

State media reported three people were killed in the northern province of Quang Ninh on Saturday, and one in Hai Duong, near Hanoi. Several fishermen were reported missing. 

At  Hai Au Lock on Tuan Chau island, north of Hai Phong, sailor Pham Van Thanh, 51, told AFP he had never experienced such a strong and violent typhoon. 

He said  the entire crew had remained on the tourist boat since Friday to prevent it from sinking. "The wind was blowing from behind and the pressure was too much for any of the boats to withstand," he told AFP. 

In Hai Phong, metal roofing panels and advertising billboards flew into the air over the city of 2 million people, where the storm hit hardest. 

Parts of the city, home to multinational factories, lost power on Saturday and four  airports in northern Vietnam suspended operations for much of the day. 

Early Friday, Yagi caused chaos on  Hainan island, a popular tourist destination nicknamed China's Hawaii. At least three people have been killed and nearly 100 injured in China as a result of the storm. 

Nearly 50,000 people have been evacuated from Vietnamese coastal cities and authorities have issued warnings to stay in their homes. Schools were closed in 12 northern provinces, including Hanoi.