Tropical Storm Threatens 74,000 Fishermen In Vietnam

November 22, 2007 9:11 a.m. EST

Hanoi, Vietnam (AHN) - About 74,000 fishermen on nearly 12,000 boats were under threat Thursday as a tropical storm loomed off Vietnam's coastal regions, the government said Wednesday.

The fishermen were still working near the Spratly archipelago in the South China Sea, where a tropical depression has turned into Tropical Storm Hagibis, said the Central Committee for Flood and Storm Control.

The storm is expected to enter Vietnam's southern region on Saturday. The agency issued an order to the border guards to tell the fishermen to return to ports ahead of the storm and to assist to any boats in need of support.

Vietnam has also asked nearby countries to allow its fishermen to seek shelter in their ports, with 58 Vietnamese boats already safe at one of the Spratly islands controlled by the Philippines, the agency said.