Typhoon Haiyan claims five more lives in China, 13 in Vietnam

BEIJING, Nov. 12 (UPI) -- Haiyan, one of history's deadliest and most powerful typhoons, rampaged into Vietnam and China after crippling the Philippines, killing more people in its path.

The Pacific Ocean-whipped storm, which is feared to have killed up to 10,000 people in the central Philippines during its 60-plus hour show of might there and left the region in near total destruction, rolled into Vietnam Monday and later into China.

Haiyan began showing signs of weakening into a tropical depression early Tuesday as it moved northeastward in China, but even in that state its fury was destructive.

China's State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters reported at least five people had died as of late Monday in the southern island province of Hainan and one in south Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the storm's entry points into China. Both regions also were being lashed by torrential rains, triggering heavy flooding that was destroying houses and damaging farmland, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

At least seven more people remained missing in south China in storm-related incidents.

In Vietnam, Haiyan's earlier stopover before hitting China, authorities reported at least 13 people had died and another 81 injured as the storm, packing powerful winds, tore through the country's north-central and northern provinces that included Quang Nam, Thua Thien-Hue, Quang Ngai, Ha Tinh and Quang Binh.

Some of the deaths were due to falling trees or roofs being blown off as the victims made preparations ahead of the storm, Xinhua reported. The typhoon also forced the evacuation of more than 500,000 people in the affected provinces of Vietnam.

Vietnamese authorities also were searching for three people reported missing after the storm sank a cargo vessel. The three were part of a four-person crew on the ship that sank Monday off Cam Pha, officials said. The fourth person was rescued.

The storm also was blamed in the destruction of 18 houses, roofs being blown off 525 houses, and the sinking of 16 vessels.

Last weekend, at least eight people were killed in northeastern Taiwan after being swept into the sea by waves up to 26 feet stirred up by Haiyan. Eight others were rescued.