A storm formed from a tropical low off the East Sea on Saturday morning may touch land on the central coast, a weather expert has warned.

It’s also likely to affect other provinces, including those situated on the coast in the northern region, Tang said.

By 1 p.m. on Sunday, Ketsana, as the storm has been christened, was 390 kilometers away from the Hoang Sa (Paracel) Islands and moving northwest at a speed of some 20 kilometers per hour, the center said on its website.

On Tuesday it could be 80 kilometers off the coast of Quang Tri and Da Nang provinces, the center said, warning the provinces of downpours, rough seas and floods.

“At the moment we can’t say exactly which area the storm will hit, but the provinces between Quang Ninh and Quang Ngai on the central coast face the highest risks,” Tang said.

Also at the meeting, Central Steering Committee for Flood and Storm Protection reported that as of Saturday 18 people in the north-central provinces have been killed in floods and heavy rains caused by a tropical low hitting the region on Friday. Seven people are missing.

Floods and rains also submerged over 2,400 hectares of rice and nearly 5,900 hectares of farm produce in the affected provinces, while nearly 9,700 houses and 23 boats were damaged, the committee said.

The storm killed at least 60 people and left more than 10 missing in the Philippines after it landed in the country’s Luzon Island on Saturday.