Philippines: Nearly 500 people were killed by typhoon Washi

After causing a cataclysm that killed nearly 500 people in the Philippines, Typhoon Washi went south to the South China Sea and 16:00 pm on December 18 from the Spratly Islands about 400km, strong level 8.

The central hydro-meteorological center said, due to the influence of strong cold air, the night of December 18 and tomorrow, the storm fell south, the speed was very fast 25km per hour. In the afternoon, the storm center in the west of Truong Sa archipelago, about 350km from Con Dao, is strong at level 8.

In the next 2 days, the storm goes in the southwest direction, the speed is 20km per hour and away from the land of Vietnam. At 16:00 on December 20, the storm center was about 370 km away from Con Dao, weakened into a tropical depression.

Although it is not possible to land in the South, storms combined with cold air cause strong winds of level 6-7 for the middle and south areas of the South China Sea, strong thunderstorms. Off the central coast, the south and north of the East Sea have strong northeast winds of level 6-7.

Predict the path and impact area of ​​the storm. (Photo: NCHMF)

The Central Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Control said that on the way to avoid storms, a ship of Phu Yen was sunk, two crew members were rescued. Another ship in the province is anchored and sunk by the waves. Currently the Spratly Islands area, where the storm will enter, currently has 255 ships with over 2,800 active fishermen.

At the meeting of the Central Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Control on December 18, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai asked to focus on dealing with storms at sea. The forces urgently call and tally boats. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs drafted diplomatic notes for neighboring countries, creating conditions for fishermen to board the island to avoid storms.

The Ministry of Defense is required to direct the maintenance of rescue forces and means, ready to respond when required. Vessels operating in the Spratly Islands actively move into the island and do not leave people on boats when the wind is strong.

Deputy Prime Minister noted to avoid subjective psychology, especially when boats in the southern region are mainly small, less experienced against storms like the Central. In this area, there are few island stays, avoiding storms.

Washi is the seventh storm to enter the South China Sea. As a rule, at this time, the East Sea rarely has storms. Earlier, the storm passed the Philippines, causing a cataclysm that killed nearly 500 people.