Typhoon kills 104 in Asia

Typhoon Chanchu, the strongest on record to enter the South China Sea in May, the start of the storm season, left a trail of destruction through China, Vietnam and the Philippines.

It killed at least 37 people in the Philippines last weekend. By late Friday, bodies of 44 Vietnamese fishermen were found by Vietnamese and Taiwanese rescuers after Chanchu, the Chinese word for "pearl," moved west briefly before changing course to head north, sweeping away dozens of Vietnam's ships in its path.

The typhoon, with winds up to 170 km per hour (106 miles per hour), killed 23 people in China after it slammed into the southern coast on Thursday and moved north where it weakened.

In Vietnam five fishing ships sank off the central city of Danang with 122 crew members, and rescuers have found 20 bodies and rescued 30 others, said Tran Van Huy, director of the city's Fisheries Department.