The death toll from Typhoon Yagi in Vietnam rose to 233 on Friday as rescue workers continued to recover bodies from landslides and flash floods, according to state media.
Floodwaters from the swollen Red River in Hanoi are beginning to recede, but many neighborhoods remain submerged. Experts predict it could take several more days for relief to reach the hardest-hit areas further north.
The typhoon made landfall on Saturday, sparking a week of intense rainfall that has caused severe flash floods and landslides, especially in Vietnam's mountainous north.
Across Vietnam, 103 people are still listed as missing, and more than 800 have been injured.
Most fatalities have occurred in the province of Lao Cai, where a flash flood swept away the entire hamlet of Lang Nu on Tuesday. Eight villagers were found safe on Friday morning, saying they had left before the deluge, state-run VNExpress reported. However, 48 others from Lang Nu have been found dead, and 39 remain missing.
Roads to Lang Nu have been badly damaged, making it impossible to bring in heavy equipment to aid the rescue effort.
About 500 personnel with sniffer dogs are on-site, and during a visit on Thursday, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh promised they would not relent in their search for those still missing.
"Their families are in agony,” Chinh said.
Coffins were stacked near the disaster site in preparation for the worst, and villager Tran Thi Ngan mourned at a makeshift altar for family members she had lost.
"It's a disaster,” she told VTV news. "That's 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 pushed a bus, a car, and several motorcycles into a small river swollen with floodwaters. Ten more people remain missing.
Experts say storms like Typhoon Yagi are becoming stronger due to climate change, as warmer ocean waters provide more energy to fuel them, leading to higher winds and heavier rainfall.
The effects of the typhoon, the strongest to hit Vietnam in decades, are also being felt across the region, with flooding and landslides in northern Thailand, Laos, and northeastern Myanmar.
In Thailand, 10 deaths have been reported due to flooding or landslides. Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra flew to the north on Friday to visit affected people in the border town of Mae Sai. Thailand's Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation warned of a continuing risk of flash floods in multiple areas through Wednesday, as new rain is expected to increase the Mekong River's levels further.
International aid has been flowing into Vietnam in the aftermath of Yagi, with Australia delivering humanitarian supplies as part of $2 million in assistance.
South Korea has pledged $2 million in humanitarian aid, and the U.S. Embassy said Friday it would provide $1 million in support through the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID.
"With more heavy rain forecast in the coming days, USAID’s disaster experts continue to monitor humanitarian needs in close coordination with local emergency authorities and partners on the ground,” the embassy said in a statement. "USAID humanitarian experts on the ground are participating in ongoing assessments to ensure U.S. assistance rapidly reaches populations in need.”
The typhoon and ensuing heavy rains have damaged factories in northern provinces like Haiphong, home to electric car company VinFast, Apple parts suppliers, and other electronic manufacturers, which could affect international supply chains, the Center for Strategic and International Studies said in a research note.
"Though 95% of businesses operating in Haiphong were expected to resume some activity on Sept. 10, repair efforts will likely lower output for the next weeks and months,” CSIS said.
