[TinyRedLeaf]

23 die as Typhoon Ketsana roars into Vietnam

Hanoi, Vietnam (Sept 29): Typhoon Ketsana roared into central Vietnam today, killing at least 23 people as it brought flooding and winds of over 144kph, disaster officials said. Some 170,000 were evacuated from its path.

Ketsana left more than 200 dead across the northern Philippines as a weaker tropical storm. After gathering strength over the South China Sea, the typhoon made landfall in mid-afternoon, about 60km south of Danang, according to the National Weather Centre.

- ASSOCIATED PRESS

Tsunami in South Pacific kills nearly 100

Apia, Samoa (Sept 30): A massive tsunami unleashed by a powerful earthquake flattened Samoan villages and swept cars and people out to sea, killing at least 99 and leaving dozens missing today. The death toll is expected to rise.

Survivors fled the waves of water for higher ground on the South Pacific islands after the magnitude 8.0 quake struck at 6.48am local time (5.48pm GMT) on Tuesday. The quake was centred about 200km south of the islands of Samoa, which has about 180,000 people, and American Samoa, a United States territory of 65,000.

Less than 24 hours later, another strong underwater earthquake rocked western Indonesia on today, briefly triggering a tsunami alert for countries along the Indian Ocean. The 7.6-magnitude quake toppled buildings, cut power and triggered a landslide on Sumatra island, and at least 75 people were reported killed. Experts said the seismic events were not related.

- ASSOCIATED PRESS

Indonesia quake kills 75

Padang, Indonesia (Sept 30): A powerful earthquake struck off the city of Padang on Indonesia's Sumatra island today, killing at least 75 people and trapping thousands under rubble, officials said.

The death toll was likely to rise further as many buildings, including hotels, schools and shops had collapsed, Vice-President Jusuf Kalla told a news conference in Jakarta. TV footage showed devastation, with piles of rubble and smashed houses after the 7.6 magnitude earthquake, which caused widespread panic across the city of 900,000 people.

- REUTERS

It feels like the End of Days here in South-east Asia...