Vietnam's death toll from Typhoon Yagi rose to 233 on Friday as rescuers retrieved more bodies from areas hit by landslides and flash floods, state media said.
Floodwaters from the swollen Red River are starting to subside in the capital Hanoi but many districts remain submerged and experts predict it could be days yet before help arrives further north.
Typhoon Yagi causes Hanoi river floods, 179 dead
Typhoon Yagi made landfall on Saturday, bringing heavy rains to mountainous areas of northern Vietnam, triggering flash floods and landslides. 103 people are still missing and more than 800 injured across the country.
In a village on the outskirts of Hanoi, Nguyen Thi Loan rushed back to her home on Monday as floodwaters rose. With much of Arak village still underwater, she surveyed the damage and wondered how she and others would cope.
“The floods have made our lives very difficult,” she said. “Our rice crop has been destroyed and our electrical appliances, including washing machines, televisions and refrigerators, are submerged in water at home.”
A man rows a boat through floodwaters in the aftermath of Typhoon Yagi in An Lac village, Hanoi city, Vietnam, on Friday. (AP Photo/Hau Dinh)
Most of the victims were in Lao Cai province, where a sudden flood engulfed the entire village of Lan Ngu on Tuesday. Eight villagers emerged safely on Friday morning, telling others they had evacuated before the floods, according to the state-run VNExpress newspaper. But 48 other people were found dead in Lan Ngu, and a further 39 are still missing.
The road to Rannou is badly damaged, making it impossible to bring in heavy machinery to assist in rescue efforts.
About 500 personnel with search dogs are at the scene and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, who toured the area on Thursday, promised that the search for those still missing would not ease.
“Their families are suffering,” Chin said.
Bracing for the worst, coffins were stacked near the disaster site, and villager Tran Thi Ngan paid tribute to her fallen family at a makeshift altar.
“This is a catastrophe,” 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 swept several buses, cars and motorbikes into a flood-swollen stream. Another 10 people were missing.
A woman walks through floodwaters caused by Typhoon Yat in An Lac village, Hanoi, Vietnam, on Friday. (AP Photo/Hau Dinh)
Experts say storms like Typhoon Yagi are becoming stronger due to climate change, with warming ocean temperatures providing more energy to storms, leading to stronger winds and heavier rains.
The storm, the strongest to hit Vietnam in decades, has been felt across the region, causing floods and landslides in northern Thailand, Laos and northeastern Myanmar.
In Thailand, where 10 deaths were reported from floods and landslides, Prime Minister Pathumthan Shinawatra flew to the north on Friday to visit the border town of Mae Sai. The Department of Disaster Management warned that the risk of flash flooding in several areas would continue until next Wednesday as fresh rains were expected to further raise water levels on the Mekong River.
Myanmar's military said on Friday that at least 33 people had been killed across the country since Wednesday. The military said 187 relief camps had been set up for some 240,000 flood victims in 34 townships.
Local media reported floods and landslides in Mandalay and Bago in central Myanmar, Shan state in the east and the capital Naypyidaw, leaving dozens missing, and fears the death toll could rise.
International aid has been pouring into Vietnam since the Goat incident, with Australia already sending humanitarian supplies as part of a $2 million aid package.
South Korea has also pledged $2 million in aid, and the U.S. Embassy said on Friday it would provide $1 million in assistance through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
“With further heavy rains expected over the next few days, USAID disaster experts continue to monitor humanitarian needs in close coordination with local emergency authorities and partners,” the embassy said in a statement. “USAID humanitarian experts on the ground are participating in ongoing assessments to ensure U.S. assistance can quickly reach those in need.”
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The typhoon and subsequent heavy rains have damaged factories in northern provinces such as Hai Phong, home to electric car maker VinFast, Apple parts suppliers and other electronics makers, potentially affecting international supply chains, the Center for Strategic and International Studies said in a research note.
The center said 95 percent of businesses in Hai Phong city were expected to resume some activities on Sept. 10, but that “repair works will likely result in reduced production in the coming weeks and months.”
