Five people were missing as strong winds and rain sunk several fishing boats in the South China Sea off Vietnam, authorities said Friday. According to dpa, Vietnam's Steering Committee on Storm and Flood Control said the storm, which had been lashing the coast since Wednesday, sunk a fishing boat with four crew off Thua Thien Hue province in central Vietnam. Rescuers have not found the four men. On Thursday, the freighter Phu Tan sunk off Quang Binh province, also in central Vietnam. Twenty-six people were rescued, but one person remained missing, the committee said. Authorities have rescued 51 fishermen and seven boats but said at least six fishing boats were sunk. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, disasters related to annual heavy rains and floods have killed an average of 750 people in each of the past 10 years and incurred costs equivalent to 1.5 per cent of gross domestic product per year.
