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Moment of silence in Vietnam for typhoon victims
Aid flows in from many nations
November 13, 1997
Web posted at: 3:53 p.m. EST (2053 GMT)HANOI, Vietnam (CNN) -- In a brief ceremony at the national legislature Thursday, Vietnam's top leaders observed a moment of silence for the hundreds of people killed by Typhoon Linda and the thousands still missing in the wake of the storm.
Officials, including Communist Party chief Do Muoi, President Tran Duc Luong, and Prime Minister Phan Van Khai, stood as a traditional funeral dirge was played at the memorial ceremony, broadcast live on national television.
Typhoon Linda wreaked havoc on southern Vietnam's Ca Mau and Kien Giang provinces earlier this month. The storm destroyed buildings, roads, bridges and dikes and is believed to have swamped thousands of small fishing boats unable to return to shore in time to escape Linda's winds of up to 100 kilometers per hour (63 mph).
While rescue efforts continued, officials said it was unlikely that any more survivors would be found. The highest tally put Linda's known death toll at 587 people. As many as 3,400 people are still missing, and tens of thousands were left homeless after the storm.
The international community is rushing to help recovery efforts. More than $1.9 million in emergency relief has arrived from United Nations agencies and donor countries, including Canada, France, Australia, China and the United States.
Australia and China were the most recent to promise relief, pledging $120,000 and $20,000 respectively.
The United States donated $636,000, its largest aid package to the country since the Vietnam War. The U.S. donation was presented by Pete Peterson, a former fighter pilot and prisoner during the conflict, which ended in 1975.
The United States normalized relations with Vietnam in 1995. It has no formal aid program for Hanoi but does give disaster relief.
As the country mourns its losses from Typhoon Linda, the capital is also in the midst of frantic preparations for this weekend's gala summit of 47 French-speaking countries. It is the first time the Francophone gathering, the seventh of its kind, has been held in Asia.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Related story:
- More than 100 dead after typhoon lashes Vietnam - November 4, 1997
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