UPDATE 1-Typhoon Molave lashes Vietnam coast, 26 fishermen missing

* Vietnam sends navy to find 26 missing fishermen
* 250,000 soldiers on standby to help with aftermath
* Red Cross launches expects major relief operation
* Typhoon Molave made landfall at noon local time

(Updates with emergency appeal from Red Cross in paragraph 3)
By Phuong Nguyen
HANOI, Oct 28 (Reuters) - At least 26 fishermen were missing
at sea as one of the strongest typhoons in two decades tore into
Vietnam's central coastline on Wednesday, uprooting trees and
forcing hundreds of thousands into shelter.
Typhoon Molave, packing winds of up to 135 kilometres (83.9
miles) per hour, made landfall around midday having caused two
deaths and left dozens missing as it approached.
The military prepared helicopters and amphibious vehicles
and deployed or placed on standby 250,000 soldiers in
preparation for what humanitarian groups anticipated could be a
challenging aftermath.
"We are mounting one of our biggest relief operations ever,"
Vietnam Red Cross president Nguyen Thi Xuan Thu said in a
statement announcing a global emergency appeal for over $4
million in relief funds.
The typhoon will be another big test for Vietnam amid a
spell of intense weather throughout October that caused the
worst flooding in decades, and several deadly mudslides.
At least 130 people have been killed in the central region,
including many soldiers, with dozens still missing. Two navy ships were mobilised to find 26 missing fishermen
whose boats sank when trying to return to shore on Tuesday, the
government said.
Hundreds of thousands of people were evacuated from the path
of Molave and those remaining at home told to stay indoors.
"I can see bits of roof, perhaps mine included, and tree
branches flying under sky thick with clouds," Nguyen Van Muoi, a
resident in central Binh Dinh province told Reuters by phone
from an evacuation shelter.
The weather agency said the storm would trigger more heavy
rain in the central region, including the coffee belt Central
Highlands.
State television showed strong wind battering Quang Nam
province, home to the historic town of Hoi An, where a resident
shared video of trees bending and branches whipping in winds
that gained strength each hour.
Molave hit the Philippines at the weekend and the death toll
there rose to nine on Tuesday.