Vietnam death toll from Typhoon Yagi jumps to 59

HANOI

This aerial picture shows the collapsed Phong Chau bridge over the Red River in Phu Tho province on Sept. 9, 2024, after Super Typhoon Yagi hit northern Vietnam.

The death toll in Vietnam from Typhoon Yagi rose to 59, state media reported on Monday, as business leaders described the storm as a "disaster" for the country's vital manufacturing sector.

Yagi, identified by meteorologists as the most powerful typhoon to hit northern Vietnam in 30 years, knocked down bridges, tore roofs off buildings, and damaged factories when it made landfall on Saturday with winds exceeding 149 kilometers (92 miles) per hour.

Power blackouts caused major disruptions to factories in northern Vietnam, a key production hub for global tech firms such as Samsung and Foxconn.

The north was also grappling with severe flooding on Monday, with several communities partially submerged.

State media reported that the storm has resulted in 59 fatalities in Vietnam, with 44 deaths from landslides and flash floods. The death toll had previously been reported as 21.

Authorities announced on Monday that 247 people had been injured.

"The (flooding) situation is very serious. We have ordered the discharge of water (from reservoirs)," said Nguyen Hoang Hiep, deputy minister of agriculture and rural development, in a statement. "Localities must be active to support and ensure the safety of their people and assets."

At least 24 others were killed as Yagi swept through southern China and the Philippines before reaching Vietnam.

Approximately 1.5 million people were still without electricity in Vietnam on Monday, and a major bridge across the swollen and fast-moving Red River collapsed in northern Phu Tho province. Photos on state media showed that half of the 375-meter Phong Chau bridge was missing.

Deputy Prime Minister Ho Duc Phoc mentioned that 13 people were missing, according to state news site VNExpress. He noted that 10 cars and trucks, along with two motorbikes, were on the bridge when it collapsed.

In the neighboring province of Yen Bai, 2,400 households were forced to relocate to higher ground as the water level rose to dangerous heights. Floodwaters reached a meter (three feet) high in parts of Yen Bai City on Monday.

Disaster authorities indicated that 130 locations in 17 cities and provinces across northern Vietnam were at high risk of flooding and landslides.

Blackouts 

Across northern Vietnam, 5.7 million customers experienced power blackouts on Saturday and Sunday, according to state utility EVN.

Vietnam plays a crucial role in the supply chain for some of the world's most prominent companies, and many key domestic and foreign-owned factories are located in the north.

Hong Sun, chairman of the Korean Chamber of Business in Vietnam, told AFP on Monday that the typhoon had been a "disaster" for businesses, especially in the area of Haiphong, a port city heavily affected by the storm.

"During the typhoon, there was a blackout situation, so some of them had to shut down their factories, which means they had to spend a lot of time and money to reinstall all the machinery," he explained.

Susumu Yoshida from the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry reported that the roof of one electronics company had been blown off and their products were flooded.

Among the typhoon victims was a family of four killed after heavy rain caused a hillside to collapse onto their house in the mountainous Hoa Binh province.

Six people, including a newborn baby and a one-year-old boy, died in a landslide in the Hoang Lien Son mountains of northwestern Vietnam on Sunday afternoon.

According to a study published in July, typhoons in the region are forming closer to the coast, intensifying more rapidly, and staying over land longer due to climate change.