Typhoon Yagi: At least 24 dead, hundreds injured in northern Vietnam

Motorcyclists try to cross a road covered with fallen tree branches as Typhoon Yagi brings strong winds in Haikou, Hainan Province of China. Photo / Getty Images

Typhoon Yagi and the landslides and floods it triggered have killed at least 24 people and injured about 300 in northern Vietnam over the weekend, the Government says, as authorities warn of more flooding.

The typhoon was Asia’s most powerful storm this year and made landfall on the country’s northeastern coast on Saturday. It has disrupted power supplies and telecommunications in several parts of the country, mostly in Quang Ninh and Haiphong, the Government said.

The weather agency on Monday warned of more floods and landslides, noting that rainfall ranged between 208mm and 433mm in several parts of the region over the past 24 hours.

“Floods and landslides are damaging the environment and threatening people’s lives,” the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting said in a report.

In a separate bulletin, the centre said flood risks are particularly high in Lang Son, Cao Bang, Yen Bai and Thai Ngyen provinces.

After it made landfall in Vietnam on Saturday afternoon, Yagi triggered waves as high as 4m in coastal provinces, leading to extended power and telecommunication outages that have complicated damage assessment, the Government said.

Heavy rain and strong gusts prior to the landfall of super Typhoon Yagi already resulted in a number of damages in Hanoi. #TyphoonYagi #Hanoi pic.twitter.com/1ld3ngLXDo

— Vietnam Defense (@vietnamese_news) September 6, 2024

Hanoi wakes in quiet sorrow. Streets once bustling now lie in disarray, ancient trees uprooted, their branches sprawled across broken roads. The city, heavy with sadness, bears the weight of the storm’s destruction, yet its resilient spirit flickers beneath the damage. #YAGI pic.twitter.com/BHOSUYAfNA

— Vivian Nguyen (@viviannginc) September 8, 2024

The meteorological agency warned on Monday of continued “risk of flash floods” in riverside areas, including in Hanoi.

Yagi had already claimed the lives of at least two people in Hainan, China, and 16 people in the Philippines, having formed earlier last week.