MANILA: Three people died and a dozen others are missing after a typhoon triggered flooding across the central Philippines, officials said yesterday, with thousands still sheltering in evacuation centers. Typhoon Molave struck Sunday, inundating low-lying villages and farmlands, knocking down power lines and destroying hundreds of houses as it crossed the archipelago.

The typhoon is now sweeping across the South China Sea towards Vietnam, the national weather forecaster said. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) warned the number of casualties could rise as regional authorities assess the damage in their areas.

The three deaths were all from drowning, NDRRMC spokesman Mark Timbal said. Among them was a woman who was swept away by surging currents as she tried to cross a river, Rizajoy Hernandez of the Civil Defense office in the Central Visayas told AFP. Twelve people, mostly fishermen, have been reported missing after being caught in rough seas.

More than 70,000 people remain in over 800 evacuation centers. The Philippines is hit by an average of 20 storms and typhoons every year, making them a dangerous and disruptive part of life in the country. Many of the storms are deadly, and they typically wipe out harvests, homes and infrastructure, keeping millions of people perennially poor. The country's deadliest typhoon on record was Super Typhoon Haiyan, which left more than 7,300 people dead or missing in 2013.

Meanwhile, flood-ravaged Vietnam has begun evacuating more than half a million people from its central coastal region as it braces for Typhoon Molave, the fourth storm to hit the country in weeks. Schools and beaches have been closed and many flights cancelled ahead of the severe typhoon.

It is forecast to make landfall south of Danang around 1 pm (0600 GMT) today, packing maximum sustained winds of 140 kilometers (85 miles) per hour, according to the Hong Kong Observatory. More heavy rain is expected across the region, which has since early October suffered severe flooding and landslides that have claimed 130 lives. Floodwater has inundated 178,000 homes, said the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

With some houses still under water, residents are preparing for the arrival of Molave, which killed at least three people as it blew through the central Philippines. "Molave will be one of the worst storms, with the strongest winds, of the past 20 years," said Hoang Phuc Lam, deputy head of Vietnam's national forecasting center, according to state media.

More than 500,000 people will be moved to temporary accommodation, Vietnam's Disaster Management Authority said. Vietnam is prone to natural disasters in the rainy season between June and November, with central coastal provinces commonly worst affected. -AFP