At least 59 people have lost their lives in Vietnam as landslides and floods, triggered by Typhoon Yagi, swept through the country. According to state media, the typhoon, which has been labeled as Asia's most powerful storm this year, made landfall on Vietnam’s northeastern coast on Saturday. Prior to hitting Vietnam, it had already caused significant damage in China and the Philippines.
Families and Children Among the Victims
Among the deceased were six individuals, including a newborn baby and a one-year-old boy, who perished in a landslide in the Hoang Lien Son mountains of northwestern Vietnam. Local authorities discovered their bodies on Sunday. Additionally, a family of four was killed when heavy rains caused a hillside to collapse onto their home in the northern Hoa Binh province.
In Cao Bang province, a passenger bus carrying 20 people was swept into a flooded stream due to a landslide. Rescue teams were dispatched, but landslides obstructed access to the scene. Meanwhile, in Phu Tho province, rescue operations were underway after a steel bridge collapsed into the swollen Red River, causing 10 cars, trucks, and two motorbikes to plunge into the water. Three people were rescued and taken to the hospital, while 13 others remained missing.
Power Outages and Infrastructure Damage
The Vietnamese government reported widespread power outages and telecommunications disruptions, particularly in Quang Ninh and Hai Phong provinces. Typhoon Yagi also damaged nearly 3,300 homes and devastated more than 120,000 hectares of crops in the northern region.
Vietnam's weather agency warned on Monday of continued risks of floods and landslides, citing rainfall levels between 208mm and 433mm over the past 24 hours in various parts of the region. “Floods and landslides are damaging the environment and threatening lives,” the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting reported.
Though Yagi weakened to a tropical depression on Sunday, significant flooding persisted. In Hai Phong, areas were submerged under half a metre of water, and power outages continued. At Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, 30 vessels sank due to the storm’s strong winds and waves, according to the disaster management authority.
Before reaching Vietnam, Typhoon Yagi caused widespread destruction in southern China and the Philippines, leaving at least 24 people dead and injuring many more. Studies suggest that due to climate change, typhoons in the region are intensifying more rapidly, forming closer to the coast, and lingering over land longer, exacerbating their impact.
With inputs from agencies
Image Source: Multiple agencies
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