Typhoon Chanchu - May 2006

On 13 and 14 May, Typhoon Chanchu hit central and northwestern Philippines and affected some 53,000 people in the Luzon and Visayas regions. 37 people were killed and thousands of homes were destroyed due to the forceful typhoon's gusts which reached up to 170 km per hour. The typhoon struck China on Thursday 18 May and left at least 21 people dead: 13 in Fujian province due to floods and landslides triggered by the typhoon; and, 8 in Guangdong Province. At the same time 27 Vietnamese fishermen remained missing after their boats sank in Chinese waters due to the storm. In Vietnam, Typhoon Chanchu entered the central East Sea area. Floods, triggered by prolonged drought and the typhoon, washed away shrimp and salinated irrigation sources in Vietnam's central Quang Nam province, causing hundreds of thousands of dollars of losses. (IFRC, 19 May 2006)

As of May 21 Typhoon Chanchu claimed 26 Vietnamese lives, left 181 people and eight ships missing and sunk eight fishing boats, according to the Central Committee for Flood and Storm Prevention and Control. The central city of Da Nang suffered the largest death toll and damage: 22 fishermen have died and six ships have sunk, while four more ships are still listed as missing. (Govt. of Viet Nam, 22 May 2006)