Typhoon Doksuri batters central Vietnam with winds, rains

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) - Typhoon Doksuri slammed into central Vietnam Friday with maximum sustained winds of 135 kilometers (84 miles) per hour, blowing off roofs, felling trees and electricity poles.

Disaster official Ngo Duc Hoi in Ha Tinh province, where the typhoon made landfall Friday, said six coastal districts were feeling the brunt of the storm.

There are no immediate reports of casualties amid gusts of up to 185 kph (115 mph) and heavy rain.

Agriculture Minister Nguyen Xuan Cuong told state television VTV that people's safety was the government's top priority.

Doksuri swept through the Philippines on Tuesday as a less powerful tropical depression, killing at least four people and leaving another six missing.

The Vietnam Disaster Management Authority said in a report that as of early Friday morning, 79,000 villagers in high risk areas in five central provinces had been evacuated and another 210,000 were to be moved to safety ahead of the typhoon.

Forecasters have warned of flash floods and landslides in some parts of the country's northern and central regions. The typhoon is expected to weaken before dissipating in northern Laos early Saturday.

Vietnam, a country of 93 million people, is prone to floods and storms that kill hundreds of people each year.