Consequences of Typhoon Yagi: Death toll in Vietnam rises, over 100 still missing

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — The death toll from a typhoon in Vietnam rose to 233 on Friday as rescue workers recovered more bodies from areas affected by landslides and flash floods, state media reported.

The floods of the Red River in the capital Hanoi began to recede, but many districts remained flooded And further north, experts predicted that it could take days before any relief was in sight.

Typhoon Yagi landed on SaturdayThis marked the beginning of a week of heavy rains that caused flash floods and landslides, particularly in the mountainous north of Vietnam.

Across Vietnam, 103 people are still missing and more than 800 have been injured.

Most of the fatalities occurred in the province Lao Cai, where a flash flood the whole village of Lang Nu was swept away on Tuesday. Eight villagers arrived unharmed on Friday morning and told others they had left the village before the flood, the state-run VNExpress newspaper reported. However, 48 other Lang Nu residents were found dead and 39 others are still missing.

The roads to Lang Nu were so badly damaged that it was impossible to use heavy equipment for rescue operations.

About 500 people with sniffer dogs are on site and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh promised during a visit to the site on Thursday that the search for those still missing would not let up.

“Their families are suffering from great fear,” Chinh said.

In preparation for the worst, coffins were stacked near the accident site and villager Tran Thi Ngan mourned the family members she had lost at a makeshift altar.

“It's a disaster,” she told VTV News. “This is the fate we have to accept.”

In Cao Bang, another northern province bordering China, 21 bodies had been recovered by Friday, four days after a landslide sent a bus, a car and several motorcycles into a small river swollen by floodwaters. Ten other people are still missing.

Experts say storms like Typhoon Yagi are becoming more severe due to climate change because warmer ocean waters are providing them with more energy, leading to stronger winds and heavier rainfall.

The effects of the typhoon, the strongest in Vietnam in decades, were also felt throughout the region, with flooding and landslides occurring in northern Thailand, Laos and northeast Myanmar.

In Thailand, 10 deaths from flooding or landslides were reported and Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra flew north on Friday to visit affected people in the border town of Mae Sai. Thailand's Ministry of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation warned of a continued risk of flash floods in several areas until Wednesday as fresh rain is expected to further raise the level of the Mekong River.

Following the incident, Vietnam received international assistance; Australia has already provided humanitarian aid worth US$2 million as part of the assistance effort.

South Korea has also pledged $2 million in humanitarian aid and the U.S. Embassy said Friday it would provide $1 million in assistance through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

“With further heavy rains forecast in the coming days, USAID disaster experts continue to monitor humanitarian needs in close coordination with local emergency authorities and partners on the ground,” the embassy said in a statement. “USAID humanitarian experts on the ground are participating in ongoing assessments to ensure U.S. assistance is reaching populations in need quickly.”

The typhoon and subsequent heavy rains have damaged factories in northern provinces such as Haiphong, home of electric car maker VinFast, as well as Apple parts suppliers and other electronics manufacturers, which could disrupt international supply chains, said a research note from the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

“Although 95 percent of businesses operating in Haiphong were expected to resume at least some of their operations on September 10, repair work will likely reduce production in the coming weeks and months,” CSIS said.

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Rising reported from Bangkok. Associated Press writer Jintamas Saksornchai in Bangkok contributed to this report.