A woman died in the north of Vietnam and around a dozen other people -- mostly fishermen -- went missing, according to an official from the national committee to fight storms and flooding.

A United Nations report on the situation said the dead woman was a tourist.

Conson swept onto the shores of Vietnam late on Saturday and was downgraded to a tropical depression, the official said.

"It continues to cause rainfall in parts of northern and central regions. We have not yet been able to calculate the amount of damage," he said, but added the storm "has destroyed basic infrastructure, especially water works".

Thousands of Vietnamese soldiers have been mobilised to help people living in areas affected by Conson and about 30,000 people were evacuated before the storm blew in.

Conson slammed into the Philippines on Tuesday, directly hitting the capital Manila as it cut westward into the South China Sea with a ferocity that caught weather forecasters by surprise.

Rescuers retrieved three more bodies from the sea Sunday, raising the death toll to 68 in the Philippines, but more bad weather was hampering search operations.

"Three more bodies were recovered from a sunken fishing vessel," Benito Ramos, chief of the Office of Civil Defence in Manila, said on DZBB radio. "The death toll is now 68."

He said rescuers, including volunteers and troops, continued to scour coastal areas in the country's southeastern seaboard Sunday, where the majority of the 84 still missing were reported.

"We are still hoping that they are still alive," Ramos said.

However, he said fresh rains brought on by a new weather disturbance east of the main island of Luzon were hampering search and rescue operations.

State weather forecasters said the rains were unlikely to develop into a full-blown storm.

The Philippines is in the so-called typhoon belt of the Pacific. Up to 20 typhoons sweep through the country each year, killing hundreds of people.

After slamming into the Philippines, Typhoon Conson, the first of the season, brushed past the southeastern Chinese island of Hainan and barreled its way into Vietnam on Saturday.

It killed least two people, tore down trees and ripped up electricity pylons when it hit Hainan Friday evening, local officials said.

Authorities on the popular tourist island evacuated around 40,000 people from the most vulnerable areas before the storm headed inland.

Two men, a security guard and a motorcyclist, died after being struck by advertising hoardings unhinged by strong winds, an official from the local typhoon warning centre said.

earlier related report
More bad weather in Philippines hampers search efforts
Manila (AFP) July 18, 2010 - Rescuers retrieved three more bodies from the sea Sunday, raising the death toll from Typhoon Conson to 68 in the Philippines, but more bad weather was hampering search operations.

"Three more bodies were recovered from a sunken fishing vessel," Benito Ramos, chief of the Office of Civil Defence in Manila, said on DZBB radio.

"The death toll is now 68."

He said rescuers, including volunteers and troops, continued to scour coastal areas in the country's southeastern seaboard Sunday, where the majority of the 84 still missing were reported.

"We are still hoping that they are still alive," Ramos said.

However, he said fresh rains brought on by a new weather disturbance east of the main island of Luzon were hampering search and rescue operations.

State weather forecasters however said it was unlikely to develop into a full-blown storm.

Conson slammed into the country on Tuesday, directly hitting the capital Manila as it cut westward into the South China Sea with a ferocity that caught weather forecasters by surprise.

It caused massive power outages across Luzon, toppled power lines, uprooted trees and destroyed thousands of homes.

Conson brushed past the southeastern Chinese island of Hainan and barreled its way into Vietnam on Saturday.

It killed at least two people in China and wrecked several Vietnamese ships off the South China Sea, officials there said.

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