Typhoon Yagi: Nearly 200 lives lost, thousands evacuated from Hanoi

Nearly 200 people have died in Vietnam after Typhoon Yagi battered the country's north, local media reports said.

While thousands have been evacuated from Hanoi, more than 125 are still missing after extensive flash floods and landslides.

On Sep 11, reports indicated that the death toll reached 197, with 128 individuals missing and over 800 injured.

Earlier in the week, a flash flood swept through the entire area of Lang Nu in Lao Cai province on Sep 10.

Rescue personnel searched for survivors, but by Sep 12 morning, 53 villagers were still missing, while seven more bodies had been found, raising the death toll in Lao Cai to 42.

The Red River’s waters rose to a 20-year high, flooding streets days after Typhoon Yagi battered the country’s north, which is at its highest since 2004, told Mai Van Khiem, head of the National Weather Bureau, to state media.

Typhoon Yagi has wreaked havoc and led to the closure of many factories and flooded warehouses in industrial hubs east of Hanoi. The disruptions due to floods may threaten global supply chains as Vietnam houses large multinationals.
Some schools in Hanoi have told students to stay home for the rest of the week, while thousands of residents of low-lying areas have been evacuated, the government and state media said.

Typhoon Yagi is the most powerful storm to strike Asia this year. It has brought heavy rain accompanied by strong winds.

Despite the storm weakening late last week, heavy rains continued leading to increased levels of water in many rivers.

Before making landfall in Vietnam, Typhoon Yagi had passed through southwest China and the Philippines.