Typhoon kills 12 in southeast Asia

Typhoon Lekima has killed at least seven people as it lashed Vietnam and southern China with torrential rains and high winds.

The storm, which killed at least five people in the Philippines last weekend, swept into central Vietnam from the sea last night, blowing roofs off houses, sinking fishing vessels and grounding flights before moving to Laos.

In central Vietnam, the typhoon raised rivers to dangerous levels.

Vietnam faces up to 10 storms a year, causing millions of dollars in damage and sometimes killing hundreds of people.

Lekima, the fifth storm in 2007, killed seven people and three others were missing, officials said.