Debris and Destruction Evident After Deadly Damrey Batters Vietnam. Credit — YouTube/Kate Kyrychenko via Storyful

Debris and Destruction Evident After Deadly Damrey Batters Vietnam. Credit — YouTube/Kate Kyrychenko via Storyful

HOLIDAYMAKERS were given just 15 minutes to evacuate their hotels after a typhoon caused serious flooding and strong winds in Vietnam.

Tourists staying in the holiday hotspot of Hoi An, on Vietnam’s cental coast, said they were given short warning to exit the building after flooding from Typhoon Damrey became “more serious”, The Sun reported.

Officials said 27 people have been killed as Typhoon Damrey struck Vietnam’s central and southern regions.

One British traveller told the UK’s The Mirror they had minutes to flee their hotel.

“At first we were given 30 minutes to get out. Later it got more serious and they said we had 15 minutes,” they said.

Footage from the city showed roads and properties submerged by water while rescue boats were scene travelling to the hotel to take occupants out one by one.

Typhoon Damrey, the 12th major storm to hit Vietnam this year, made landfall on Sunday with winds of up to 90km/h.

It damaged more than 40,000 homes, knocked down electricity poles, and uprooted trees.

The country’s steering committee for disaster prevention said 626 houses had collapsed entirely in a trail of destruction that has forced the evacuation of more than 30,000 people.

Heavy rain and high winds lashed the coastal strip today with some streets in the ancient capital of Hue were waist deep in water.

In the old trading town of Hoi An people were forced to paddle by boat through the streets.

The national disaster agency forecast that rain would last until Tuesday and that flooding could worsen.

Military tanks were mobilised to help with rescue efforts in Nha Trang, which bore the brunt of the typhoon.

A gateway proclaiming “Welcome to Danang” collapsed in the storm with the city due to host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit this week.

Treasurer Scott Morrison and US President Donald Trump are scheduled to attend on November 10 along with China’s Xi Jinping, Russia’s Vladimir Putin and other regional leaders.

Floods killed more than 80 people in northern Vietnam last month, while a typhoon wreaked havoc in central provinces in September.

The country of more than 90 million people is prone to destructive storms and flooding due to its long coastline.

This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission.