Typhoon Wulip
© UnknownShips are seen moored in the Xiuying Port to take shelter from typhoon Wulip in Haikou, capital of south China’s Hainan Province, September 29, 2013.
A powerful typhoon has left 75 people missing after sinking three Chinese fishing boats in the South China Sea, media reports say. Citing maritime authorities, Xinhua news agency said on Monday that "three fishing boats have sunk since Sunday afternoon."

The incident took place after the vessels with 88 fishermen aboard encountered strong winds near the Paracel Islands, said a statement released by the Hainan government in south China. "Two of the vessels sank Sunday and contact with the third has been lost," it said. Typhoon Wutip also forced tens of thousands of people to flee high-risk areas in central Vietnam on Monday.

The powerful typhoon, with sustained winds of up to 93 miles per hour, was expected to rock the central coast later Monday. Disaster official Le Tri Cong said more than 43,000 people were evacuated from coastal areas to safe places in Quang Tri Province as of Sunday night.

Officials plan to evacuate 140,000 more people in four other central provinces on Monday. Authorities also closed schools in five central provinces and noticed 61,000 fishing boats with 303,000 crew members to take shelter.

Wutip is the strongest tropical storm to hit Vietnam this season.

Vietnam is prone to floods and storms that kill hundreds of people and cause millions of dollars in damage each year.

Earlier this month, more than 30 people died in Typhoon Usagi in the Philippines and China.