The death toll from Typhoon Yagi in Vietnam has risen to 179, with 145 people still missing, as the country struggles to cope with the aftermath of the disaster.
Meanwhile, thousands of people have been relocated from Vietnam’s capital Hanoi, as the Red River’s waters exceed the average annual flood level for the past 20 years, flooding streets days after Typhoon Yagi hit the country’s north.
According to reports, Yagi, Asia’s most powerful typhoon this year, brought storms and heavy rain as it made landfall, causing a bridge to collapse and leaving a trail of destruction in its wake along the Red River, Vietnam’s largest in the area.
The Vietnam government on Wednesday recorded an estimated 179 deaths and 145 missing persons across the country, due to the typhoon and subsequent landslides and floods.
Mai Van Khiem, head of the National Weather Bureau, warned of severe flooding in the provinces surrounding Hanoi, as the Red River’s water levels reached their highest since 2004.
Thousands of people were evacuated from the city on Wednesday by the Police, soldiers and volunteers who directed residents to leave their homes on the riverbanks as the water level rose rapidly.
An unnamed police official in Hanoi said officers were going on foot or by boat to check every house along the river. “All residents must leave,” he said, “We are bringing them to public buildings turned into temporary shelters or they can stay with relatives.”
Schools in Hanoi have informed students to stay at home for the remainder of the week, while thousands of residents of low-lying areas have been evacuated, the government and state media said.”
Also, Vietnam’s state-run power utility EVN said it had cut off power from some flooded parts of the capital citing safety reasons.
The typhoon has disrupted several global supply chains, as the country hosts large operations of international enterprises.
Many factories and flooded warehouses in industrial hubs east of Hanoi are compelled to shut down, with some facilities not expected to fully reopen for weeks.
