Highlights
- Death toll rises to 127, with 54 missing
- Authorities ban, limit traffic on bridges over Red River
- Soldiers mobilised to evacuate, support flood victims in Bac Giang
Hanoi: The death toll in Vietnam from Typhoon Yagi and subsequent heavy rain that triggered floods and landslides climbed to 127 on Tuesday, with 54 people missing and hundreds injured, state media said. A 30-year-old bridge over the Red River in the northern province of Phu Tho collapsed on Monday, leaving eight missing, according to a statement from the provincial People's Committee. Reports said 10 cars, trucks and two motorbikes fell into the river.
Authorities have subsequently banned or limited traffic on other bridges across the river, including Chuong Duong Bridge, one of the largest in Hanoi, according to state media reports. "Water levels on the Red River are rising rapidly," the government said on Tuesday in a post on its Facebook account.
Typhoon Yagi
Typhoon Yagi was the strongest typhoon to hit Vietnam in decades when it made landfall Saturday with winds of up to 149 kph (92 mph). It killed nine people and then weakened Sunday, but downpours continued. Vietnamese state broadcaster VTV reported that 127 people are confirmed dead and 54 remain missing. Most of the deaths were caused by flooding and landslides, it said.
Water levels in several rivers, including the Red River that flows through the capital, Hanoi, were dangerously high. Authorities evacuated families living close to the river in Hanoi on Tuesday.
On Monday, a bridge collapsed and a bus was swept away, while factories in northern provinces like Haiphong were damaged. One of the hardest-hit provinces is Cao Bang, where 19 people died and 36 others are missing because of landslides in the hilly area.
Bus carrying about 20 people plunges into flood
A landslide in Cao Bang tipped over a bus carrying about 20 people into a flooded stream on Monday. It was swept away and rescuers have only been able to save one person. Two bodies were recovered and the others remain missing, state media VN Express said.
Heavy rainfall and landslides also killed 19 people in northwestern Lao Cai province bordering China. Video obtained by The Associated Press showed soil sliding down a hill onto houses and a road while people fled for safety.
Floods have also inundated 148,600 hectares or almost 7% of rice fields in northern Vietnam and 26,100 hectares of cash crops and damaged nearly 50,000 houses in northern Vietnam, according to the agency.
(With inputs from agencies)
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