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Villagers and soldiers dig through the mud after a landslide in Quang Nam Province
Photo: Lai Minh Dong / AP
Vietnam has been hit by the strongest typhoon in 20 years, according to the weather agency.
Two landslides caused by typhoon "Molave" killed more than a dozen people in Vietnam.
The authorities said that more people were missing in the rural province of Quang Nam in central Vietnam after the earth leakage.
There are different information from the news agencies about the exact number of victims.
The dpa writes of 13, the AFP of 16 and the AP of 19 deaths.
At least 40 people are still missing.
In addition, according to the dpa, 26 fishermen are missing in the Binh Dinh province after their boats sank.
The AP, however, reports 12 dead fishermen and a total of 35 dead.
The rescue work is difficult because the access roads to the accident sites are covered by deep mud after the storm, said Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung.
Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said all possibilities must be explored to rescue survivors.
The military should therefore help with the work.
Hundreds of thousands brought to safety
The typhoon swept across the provinces of Quang Nam and Quang Ngai on Wednesday with strong winds, heavy rain and meter-high waves.
At speeds of up to 135 kilometers per hour, "Molave" tore down the roofs of almost 90,000 houses, uprooted trees and flooded streets.
In many places the power went out.
Hundreds of thousands of people had previously been brought to safety.
"Molave" is expected to move in a weakened manner towards the west to southern Laos.
The typhoon had previously hit the Philippines.
The dpa news agency reports ten fatalities in the country and the AP 16.
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bbr / dpa / AFP / AP