Hanoi weather bureau warns of storm Nuri

Hanoi (VNA) - Fishermen out at sea have been warned to be wary of storm Nuri, which is moving towards China's province of Guangdong but still poses a considerable threat to parts of Vietnam .

The national centre for hydro-meteorological forecasting warned that Nuri was near the Philippines ' Luzon Island on Aug. 20 morning and would reach Guangdong on August 23. The eye of the storm is predicted to be100 km from the coast of Guangdong on August 22.

The Central Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Control called on all provincial authorities, from northern Quang Ninh to central Binh Ding, to provide local fishing-boat owners with timely information on the storm sothat they can avoid rough seas.

Local officials must keep an eye on the activities of offshore fishermen andmaintain contact with any boat out at sea to ensure their safety.

Vu Anh Tuan, chief of the short-term forecasting bureau, said Nuri was very far from Vietnam , but forecasters could not be totally sure of the exactpath the storm would take in the days to come.

Earlier this month, Storm Kammuri, which was predicted to pose only a minor threat to Vietnam, resulted in heavy rains, floods and landslides in thenorthern mountainous provinces.

This left 130 people dead and damage of about 1.4 trillion VND (82.3 millionUSD).

More than 30 people are still missing and 90 others are injured.

The centre also said the water level in Mekong River was rising, andpredicted it would reach a dangerous level.