Vietnam flooding kills 25 ahead of Typhoon Sarika arrival

HANOI, Vietnam, Oct. 17 (UPI) -- At least 25 people have died due to flooding caused by torrential rain in Vietnam ahead of the arrival of Typhoon Sarika, which passed through the Philippines on Sunday.

Officials in the Philippines said they are determining whether two deaths were caused by the typhoon over the weekend. Sarika passed through the Philippines' Luzon agricultural northern island, which also led to the evacuation of 40,000 people.

More than 100,000 homes in Vietnam have been flooded due to recent rainfall. Agricultural land in central Vietnam has also flooded and livestock has washed away. The flooding was worsened due to sudden discharges from hydroelectric power reservoirs, local media reported.

Vietnamese authorities forecast Sarika will have maximum wind speeds of about 93 mph when it nears Vietnam's northern coast by Wednesday morning.

Sarika is moving west-northwest at a speed of 10 mph with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph. Typhoon Haima, which currently has maximum sustained winds of 96 mph, is expected to make landfall in the Philippines' Cagayan province on Thursday, possibly as a super typhoon.