Typhoon Yagi Leaves 63 Dead, 40 Missing As Rescue Efforts Intensify in Vietnam

Typhoon Yagi made landfall on Saturday, bringing winds of over 149 kilometers (92 miles) per hour, marking it as the most powerful storm to strike northern Vietnam in 30 years, according to meteorologists.

According to AFP, the storm caused widespread devastation, damaging infrastructure, including bridges, factories, and homes, while triggering severe flooding and landslides across the region.

Northern Vietnam, a densely populated area and significant manufacturing hub for global technology companies such as Samsung, is now grappling with extensive flooding, with several communities partially submerged.

In the early hours of Tuesday, one-story homes in parts of Thai Nguyen and Yen Bai cities were nearly completely underwater, with residents stranded on rooftops awaiting rescue.

Rescue teams are working to reach residential areas to evacuate elderly individuals and children. Meanwhile, desperate pleas for assistance and supplies flooded social media as relatives sought help for those trapped by the rising waters.

In Hanoi, neighborhoods along the swollen Red River, which flows through the capital, were also partially submerged, prompting evacuations.

"I have lost everything, all gone. I had to come to higher ground to save our lives. We cannot bring with us any of the furniture. Everything is under water now," said Phan Thi Tuyet, 50, a resident living near the river.

The Ministry of Agriculture reported that, in addition to the deaths and missing persons, at least 752 people have been injured due to the flooding and landslides.

On Tuesday, authorities halted heavy vehicle traffic over a major bridge crossing the Red River in central Hanoi and suspended a train line across the Long Bien Bridge as water levels continued to rise.

The measures followed the dramatic collapse of the Phong Chau Bridge in northern Phu Tho province on Monday, which left half of the 375-meter structure in ruins.

Five people who were on the bridge at the time were rescued, but eight others remain missing, according to authorities.

Forecasters warned that central Hanoi could experience further flooding later on Tuesday.

Typhoon Yagi has also caused widespread power outages and significant disruptions to factories in northern Vietnam, impacting major production facilities for global tech companies such as Samsung and Foxconn.

Before hitting Vietnam, Yagi claimed the lives of at least 24 people as it swept through southern China and the Philippines.

A study published in July warned that typhoons in the region are forming closer to the coast, intensifying more rapidly, and remaining over land longer due to the effects of climate change.