The death toll in Vietnam caused by Typhoon Ketsana has increased as the powerful storm forced mass evacuations. </p> - <p> At least 23 people in central Vietnam died on Tuesday as the typhoon struck the coast. The storm killed at least 240 people in the Philippines when it hit. </p> - <p> Ketsana, which made landfall Tuesday afternoon local time, battered Quang Nam province with winds up to 144 km/h. </p> - <p> The Vietnam deaths occurred in six provinces, with many being caused by falling trees and electrical lines, officials said. </p> - <p> More than 170,000 people were evacuated from Vietnam’s central coast as the storm approached, said disaster official Nguyen Van Vy. </p> - <p> Rains and heavy winds have knocked out electricity in the central provinces. </p> - <p> "There's a blackout across our entire province," said Truong Ngoc Nhi, vice-governor of Quang Ngai province, south of Danang. "Many streets are strewn with fallen trees and utility poles. It looks like a battlefield." </p> - <p> Vietnam Airlines has cancelled all flights to the tourist destinations of Danang and Hue. </p> <p>Philippine relief efforts continue</p> - <p> Aid agencies began mobilizing relief supplies to help people in the Philippines in the aftermath of Ketsana, which dumped more than a month's worth of rain on the Philippines in less than 24 hours, causing massive flooding. </p> - <p> Rescuers in the Philippines were continuing to search for bodies in the swollen rivers on Tuesday. </p> - <p> The National Disaster Co-ordinating Council said the homes of almost 1.9 million people were inundated by flood waters, with nearly 380,000 people brought to schools, churches and other evacuation centres. </p> - <p> Officials in the Philippines are calling for more international aid as two more storms brew just east of the island nation in the Pacific. </p> - <p> "We are trying our level best to provide basic necessities, but the potential for a more serious situation is there," said Defence...