In the aftermath of Typhoon Yagi, the casualty count in Vietnam escalates to 59, with a bridge collapse and flooding causing a bus to disappear.
Nine individuals perished when Tropical Storm Yagi hit Vietnam's shore on a Saturday, subsequently reducing to a tropical depression. Subsequently, at least 50 more lives were lost due to the subsequent floods and landslides, as reported by state media VnExpress. Rivers in northern Vietnam witnessed dangerously high water levels.
On a Monday morning, a bus with 20 passengers was swept away into a flooded waterway due to a landslide in Cao Bang province's mountainous region. Rescue efforts were initiated but were halted due to additional landslides blocking the path.
Rescue operations continued in Phu Tho province following a steel bridge's collapse over the Red River on the same Monday morning. Ten automobiles, trucks, and two motorbikes reportedly fell into the river, with three individuals being retrieved from the water and taken to the hospital. However, thirteen others were reported missing.
Pham Truong Son, 50, a motorcycle driver, revealed his harrowing experience to VnExpress. He had been traveling on the bridge when he heard a loud noise. Before he could react, he found himself plunging into the river. "I felt like I was swallowed by the river bottom," Son recounted to the newspaper, adding that he managed to swim and cling onto a drifting banana tree to keep afloat until he was promptly rescued.
Over 50 businesses in Haiphong province remained idle on Monday due to the devastation inflicted on their factories by the typhoon. According to state media Lao Dong newspaper, factory roofs were ripped apart, and water seeped into the industrial units, damaging finished goods and high-end machinery. Some companies were still without power on Monday, and it was estimated that it would take at least a month to resume production.
Haiphong and Quang Ninh provinces, both industrial hubs with many export-oriented factories, such as EV maker VinFast and Apple suppliers Pegatrong and USI, were still without power on Monday due to toppled electricity poles. The newspapers reported that nearly 100 companies had incurred damages due to the typhoon, resulting in potential losses in the millions of dollars.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh authorized a $4.62 million aid package to support Haiphong city's recovery on Sunday.
Strengthened by climate change, Yagi was the most powerful typhoon to hit Vietnam in decades when it made landfall on Saturday with winds reaching up to 149 kph (92 mph). It weakened by Sunday, but continued downpours posed a risk of flooding and landslides, according to the country's meteorological agency.
On Sunday, a landslide in Sa Pa town claimed the lives of six people, including an infant, and injured nine others. Overall, state media reported 21 fatalities and at least 299 injuries from the weekend.
Hanoi's capital skies were cloudy with occasional rainfall and heavy rainfall in northwestern Vietnam on Monday morning. Clean-up efforts were underway, involving the removal of uprooted trees, fallen billboards, and toppled electricity poles. Heavy rainfall persisted in northwestern Vietnam, with predictions for an excess of 40 centimeters (15 inches) in some locations.
Before reaching Vietnam, Yagi caused at least 20 casualties in the Philippines and four fatalities in southern China.
As reported by Chinese authorities, infrastructure losses in the Hainan island province amounted to $102 million with over 57,000 houses either collapsed or severely damaged, power and water outages, and impassable roads due to fallen trees. Yagi made landfall once more in Guangdong, a mainland province adjunct to Hainan, on Friday evening.
"Storms like Typhoon Yagi are becoming more powerful due to climate change, primarily because warmer ocean waters provide additional energy to fuel the storms, leading to increased wind speeds and heavier rainfall," commented Benjamin Horton, director of the Earth Observatory of Singapore.
In light of the weather conditions, the meteorological agency warned of the risk of further flooding and landslides due to continued downpours. Despite the dangerous weather, rescue operations continued in Phu Tho province to find the missing individuals following a bridge collapse.
