Dozens Dead as Typhoon Yagi Batters Vietnam, Triggering Floods and Landslides – Reuters

By Phuong Nguyen and Minh Nguyen

HANOI/HAIPHONG – Typhoon Yagi, the most powerful storm in Asia this year, has resulted in numerous fatalities and extensive damage to infrastructure and factories across northern Vietnam, according to preliminary government reports released on Monday.

Forty-nine individuals have lost their lives, and 22 are reported missing, primarily due to landslides and flooding instigated by the typhoon, as reported by the Vietnamese government.

The storm made landfall on Saturday along Vietnam’s northeastern coast, an area critical to both domestic and foreign manufacturing operations. Although it was downgraded to a tropical depression on Sunday, meteorological authorities cautioned on Monday about the potential for continued flooding and landslides.

Yagi caused widespread power outages affecting millions of households and businesses, inundated highways, disrupted telecommunications networks, and resulted in the collapse of a medium-sized bridge as well as the downing of thousands of trees, halting economic activities in many industrial regions.

Managers and workers at industrial parks and factories in Haiphong, a coastal city with a population of two million, reported on Monday that they were without electricity and were attempting to salvage equipment from facilities where roofing had been torn off. Additional rain is anticipated.

"Everyone is scrambling to make sites safe and keep stock dry," stated Bruno Jaspaert, head of DEEP C industrial zones, which accommodates plants from over 150 investors in Haiphong and the nearby province of Quang Ninh.

Significant damage was reported at a factory belonging to South Korea’s LG Electronics, where a portion of the structure collapsed. The company confirmed damage at its production site but reported no injuries among its employees, although a warehouse containing appliances was flooded.

"There’s been substantial damage," noted Hong Sun, chairman of the South Korean business association in Vietnam, when discussing the storm’s impact on Korean factories in coastal regions.

Factory managers in leased spaces indicated widespread roof damage and ongoing power outages in the northern provinces. Additionally, a bridge in Phu Tho province collapsed on Monday; although it was a busy thoroughfare, there have been no reported casualties as of yet. Initial investigations suggested that eight vehicles were on the bridge at the time of the collapse.

The weather agency has issued warnings for additional flooding and landslides, with heavy rain and strong winds expected later on Monday in Hanoi, the capital with a population of 8.5 million.

The state-run power provider reported that over 5.7 million customers experienced power outages during the weekend due to multiple broken power lines, but nearly 75% of those affected had their electricity restored by Monday.