17 Vietnamese fishermen missing in Typhoon Chanchu

Two Vietnamese fishing ships with 17 people on board have gone missing in Typhoon Chanchu, local media reported on Thursday.

Eleven Vietnamese fishing ships with a total of 94 people on board were swept away by the typhoon some 300 kilometers south of China's Hainan island, four of them with 77 fishermen on board sank, five took shelter near a Chinese island, and two others were still missing, said the National Search and Rescue Center.

All the 77 fishermen have been rescued by other vessels in the 11-ship fleet, but 17 gone missing, the center said, noting that relevant agencies of Vietnam are contacting Chinese counterparts to search for them.

All 11 fishing ships are from central Quang Ngai province.

The typhoon slammed in Shantou City of Guangdong on Thursday morning and continued northward along the coastal areas of neighboring Fujian, bringing gale-force winds and rainstorms to the regions and triggering flooding, mountain torrents and landslides.

Chanchu, which means "pearl", formed in the Pacific, about 550 km east of Mindanao island in the Philippines on May 9. It hit central Philippines on Saturday, killing at least 32 people and affecting thousands of others.

Source: Xinhua