Weakened Haiyan Makes Landfall in Vietnam [Update]

Super typhoon Haiyan lost its punch on Monday as it made landfall near Hanoi, Vietnam. Haiyan is now categorized as a severe tropical storm.

The typhoon, also called as Yolanda, wreaked havoc in many parts of Philippines during the weekend, leaving an estimated 10,000 dead, according to unconfirmed government reports.

The Filipino government fears that the toll may go up as many people in the cities of Tacloban and Guiuan are still missing

The storm hit Quang Ninh province that is located about 105 miles east of Hanoi. The Wall Street Journal reported. Quang Ninh is a key industrial region and a tourist spot. The province shares its borders with Guangxi province of China.

"There are no reports on human casualties. Haiyan, with howling winds of more than 100kph, knocked out power and communications, peeled off many roof sheets, and downed many big trees in Ha Long and Cam Pha cities, and Van Don district," according to Vietnam's National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

"It was such a strong typhoon ...cutting the anchors of several boats mooring in the bay," an official with the anti-flood and storm department of Quang Ninh told WSJ.

Haiyan or Yolanda hit Vietnam with winds reaching 157km/h (98 mph), BBC reported. The storm is expected to downgrade into a tropical depression by the time it reaches China at about 21:00 GMT on Monday.

Vietnam on High Alert

The country had already evacuated at least 600,000 people from high-risk areas. The storm shifted its course on Sunday, which led to authorities sending another 52,000 people living near northern coast to safety.

Meteorologists have predicted heavy rainfall along with flooding in several regions of Vietnam and China.

"We need to be thankful that this storm system has weakened as it's hit Vietnam. Francis Markus from International Federation of Red Cross representative told the BBC. "But at the same time we also can't be complacent because having travelled over such a wide expanse of sea it's picked up a huge amount of moisture and so we can expect very heavy rainfall with potential flooding and landslides and other dangers."

Severe Destruction in Philippines

Reports claim that Haiyan has already killed at least 1,200 people in the region. According to the Filipino government, the death toll could reach 10,000.

"Sadly, it is likely that this figure will rise. The Government estimates that some 4.3 million people are affected, across 36 provinces, and initial assessments show that thousands of homes have been destroyed, roads are impassable and people need food, water, shelter and power," Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos told in a news release by the United Nations.

Tacloban, Leyte (population 221,000) is the worst-affected region, Jeff Masters from Weather Underground wrote in his blog.

Read an eyewitness's account of the destruction in Tacloban, here.

Obama 'saddened by the loss of life"

U.S. President Barack Obama said that he and his wife Michelle are "deeply saddened by the loss of life and extensive damage done by Super Typhoon Yolanda."

" But I know the incredible resiliency of the Philippine people, and I am confident that the spirit of Bayanihan will see you through this tragedy," Obama added.

Update- Severe Storm Haiyan kills 11 people in Vietnam, BBC reported.