HANOI: The death toll in Vietnam from Typhoon Yagi and the landslides and flash floods it triggered rose to 226 on Thursday (Sep 12), the government’s disaster agency said, as flood pressure eased in the capital Hanoi.
The Southeast Asian country is reeling from the impact of Typhoon Yagi, the strongest storm to hit Asia this year, which made landfall in Vietnam’s northeastern coast on Saturday.
More than 100 people remain missing, while some 800 people have been injured, the agency said in a report.
Several districts in the capital Hanoi remained flooded on Thursday, but the weather agency late in the day said flood pressure had eased, while flash floods and landslides continued to affect areas across northern Vietnam.
The city earlier evacuated thousands of people living near the swollen Red River as its waters rose to a 20-year high.
“There’s a lot of heartbreak in the city and there was a lot of concern going into the evening,” said charity Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation co-CEO Skye Maconachie. “Many people who barely had anything have lost everything.”
The government’s weather forecast agency said late on Thursday that the river had peaked in Hanoi and begun to subside.
North of Hanoi, landslides and severe floods are still affecting several areas, state media reported.
“I never thought my house would be under water this deep,” said Hoang Van Ty outside his home in Thai Nguyen province.
“My clothes and furniture were all under the water. Many things were floating around too but luckily I closed the doors so nothing was washed away.”
