6 lakh evacuated in Vietnam as Haiyan nears

Hanoi: More than 6,00,000 people were evacuated as super typhoon Haiyan bore down on Vietnam, authorities said on Sunday, after the storm smashed through the Philippines leaving thousands feared dead and widespread devastation. 

    Residents of the Vietnamese capital Hanoi were braced for heavy rains and flooding, while tens of thousands of people in coastal areas were ordered to take shelter ahead of Haiyan's expected landfall. 
    "We have evacuated more than 1,74,000 households, which is equivalent to more than 6,00,000 people," an official report by flood and storm control department said. 
    The storm is now expected to strike late on Sunday after changing course, the official Vietnam Television reported, prompting further evacuations of some 52,000 people in provinces by the coast. 
    "People must bring enough food and necessities for three days... those who do not move voluntarily will be forced," VNExpress report said, adding all boats have been ordered back to shore. AFP

FLATTENED: Destroyed houses in Tacloban city bear testimony to the devastation caused by typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines