Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai has asked central provinces and cities to keep a close eye on and take precautionary measures against approaching typhoon Nalgae.

Hai made the request at a meeting of the Central Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Prevention in Hanoi on Oct. 2, as typhoon Nalgae, the sixth of its kind to hit Vietnam this year, is heading to the central region.

The deputy PM urged relevant ministries, agencies and localities to be vigilant against the typhoon and subsequent floods, and not to permit local fishermen to go offshore fishing.

He also spoke highly of exerted efforts by ministries, agencies and localities to cope with typhoon Nesat and flooding in the Mekong River Delta, thus minimising losses of humans and property.

On the same day, the Central Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Prevention and the National Committee for Search and Rescue sent official dispatches to central coastal provinces and cities from Thanh Hoa to Phu Yen and relevant agencies, ordering preparedness against typhoon Nalgae.

Typhoon Nesat, which hit northern provinces on Sept. 30, unroofed 293 houses, sank 11 boats, and inundated nearly 1,700 ha of paddy fields in Quang Ninh province. It also submerged 10,000 ha of paddy fields in the port city of Hai Phong .

Meanwhile, floods in the Mekong River Delta claimed eight lives, including five children. Over 13,400 houses were inundated and more than 4,250 ha of rice fields were destroyed./.