HANOI: Severe floods are likely to inundate parts of Vietnam’s north, including the capital Hanoi, local authorities said, as the aftermath of typhoon Yagi, the most powerful storm to hit the region so far this year, continues to extract a deadly toll. Floods and Landslides triggered by the typhoon have killed around 65 people and 39 others are missing in the north, the disaster management agency stated on Tuesday in its latest update on the current situation.
Typhoon Yagi
Most of the people were killed in flash floods and landslides, the agency stated in a report, saying that 752 people have been wounded. Other northern areas, including the industrial hubs of Bac Giang and Thai Nguyen which host factories of multinationals including Apple supplier Foxconn and Samsung Electronics are also facing severe flooding, official media reported. It was not immediately clear if the firms were affected. The typhoon had previously hit the Philippines as well as the southern Chinese island of Hainan.
Several rivers in northern area of Vietnam have risen to alarming levels, leaving villages and residential parts inundated, the disaster agency and state media reported.
A 30-year-old bridge over the Red River in Phu Tho also collapsed on Monday, leaving 8 missing, according to the provincial People’s Committee.
Officials have subsequently banned and limited traffic on other bridges across the river, according to media reports. “Water levels on the Red River are increasing rapidly,” the authorities said on Tuesday in a post on its social media account.
Flood waters have inundated villages on the outskirts of Hanoi, state-run broadcaster VTV reported, and officials were already evacuating locals from there. Evacuations were taking place from flood-hit areas in Bac Giang province, the local authorities said, where the floods and typhoon have caused damage estimated for now to be worth $12.1 million. Lao Cai province has reported the highest casualties with nineteen people killed and eleven missing, mostly in landslides, the disaster management agency said.
