Typhoon Kalmaegi made landfall Thursday in Vietnam's already storm-battered central belt, where thousands have been evacuated from areas in the path of one of the world's deadliest cyclones this year.

Kalmaegi cut a path of destruction through the Philippines this week, killing at least 140 people and leaving another 127 missing after unleashing devastating floods.

It crashed into central Vietnam late Thursday, packing sustained winds of up to 149 kilometres (92 miles) per hour with much faster gusts, the environment ministry said.

"The wind is so so strong, nothing can resist," Vu Van Hao, 48, told AFP as he surveyed the shards of windows shattered by the storm in the lobby of a hotel in Gia Lai province.

"We here have never experienced such strong wind like this. It's a natural disas

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