Typhoon Yagi Leaves Over 230 Dead and Millions Affected in Southeast Asia
Flooding in Lao Cai, Vietnam, Sept. 12, 2024. X/ @PhamDuyHien9
September 12, 2024 Hour: 9:37 am
Around 19 million Vietnamese people, including 5.5 million children, have been affected by the effects of Yagi.
As of Thursday morning, flooding and landslides caused by Typhoon Yagi have left over 230 dead and millions affected in several Southeast Asian nations. The heavy rains and hurricane-force winds hit northern Vietnam especially hard, where authorities reported 199 fatalities and 128 people missing.
RELATED:
One of the main areas of search and rescue efforts is the village of Lang Nu, in the northern province of Lao Cai, where a landslide buried dozens of homes this week, resulting in a provisional toll of 34 dead and 61 missing. The remote location of the village, situated on a mountainside and 120 kilometers from the provincial capital, combined with roads blocked by floods, has made it impossible to bring in heavy machinery to clear the debris.
Lao Cai is the hardest-hit province by the natural disaster, with 82 dead—including those in Lang Nu—followed by Yen Bai (40) and Cao Bang (34). Meanwhile, Hanoi has reported only one fatality, among other areas with casualties, according to the latest report from the Vietnamese disaster management authority.
The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) noted that around 19 million people, including 5.5 million children, live in the regions of Vietnam affected by Yagi. The storm has impacted more than 141,000 households, 550 health facilities, and 800 schools.
“National authorities have issued warnings for continued heavy rains, with flash floods and landslides continuing to devastate northern villages, where a large number of vulnerable communities, including ethnic minorities, live,” UNICEF said.
In Hanoi, Vietnam’s capital city, home to over 8 million residents, thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes along the banks of the Red and Duong Rivers due to the risk of overflowing. However, according to the latest reports, water levels have started to recede.
Flooding in Thailand, Myanmar, and Laos
Yagi, which weakened to a tropical depression after hitting Vietnam on Sunday, has also caused heavy rainfall in other Southeast Asian countries. At least nine people have died so far in the northern Thai provinces of Chiang Rai, home to 1.3 million residents, where floodwaters inundated the town of Mae Sai—on the border with Myanmar—and other areas, including Chiang Mai, the more touristy of the two.
On Thursday, Chiang Rai International Airport suspended all flights, while the army continued rescue and evacuation efforts, often using boats or jet skis in the most flooded areas. Flooding has also been reported in the Burmese city of Tachileik, on the border with Mae Sai, and in Luang Prabang, Laos, through which the Mekong River flows, with warnings about its potential impact on the historic city.
The Mekong River Commission warned today that the river could overflow in the area of Luang Prabang, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Flooding is also affecting Naypyidaw, Myanmar’s capital, while railway service between Yangon, the most populous city, and the tourist destination of Mandalay has been suspended due to parts of the track being flooded.
On its path to Vietnam, the typhoon passed through China’s island province of Hainan last Friday, where it caused at least two deaths and injured 92 people. Earlier, it crossed the northern part of the Philippine island of Luzon, leaving 21 dead and nearly 3 million people affected.
teleSUR/ JF Source: EFE
