Typhoon Ketsana Leaves Trail of Destruction Across Southeast Asia

By VOA News 30 September 2009

One of the deadliest storms in years has extended its path of destruction across Southeast Asia, blowing down villages in Cambodia, unleashing mudslides in Vietnam and submerging much of the Philippines capital.

Officials say the death toll is at 298 and rising.

Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has issued an urgent call for local relief efforts in response to Typhoon Ketsana, which officials say killed at least 41 people there.

In Vietnam, the storm damaged nearly 170,000 homes and flattened crops across six provinces. At least 350,000 people have been displaced by the storm.