71 killed as Typhoon Damrey blows out

Vietnam--Typhoon Damrey blew itself out after killing at least 71 people and carving out a swathe of destruction in a week-long sweep through East Asia.

Damrey was downgraded to a tropical depression as wind speeds dropped to just 38 kilometres per hour on Wednesday from a high of around 200 kilometres per hour, according to the Hong Kong Observatory.

The storm killed 36 people in Vietnam, 16 in the Philippines, 16 in southern China and three in Thailand, where it caused widespread flooding in the north.

Five people have been reported missing in Thailand.

Vietnam Television reported 32 deaths in the northern province of Yen Bai in flash floods sparked by the typhoon. Two deaths each were reported earlier in the provinces of Nam Dinh and Thanh Hoa.

Prime Minister Phan Van Khai was shown telling an emergency meeting that the greatest priority was to reinforce the network of dykes that had been breached.

He said that the government had to encourage the social organisations and local authorities to help people restore their livelihood.

A central government weather official said earlier that the typhoon, which he described as the most violent to hit Vietnam in a decade, caused damage worth tens of millions of dollars.