In northern Vietnam, a bridge collapsed on Monday due to heavy rains caused by Typhoon Yagi, which has already resulted in landslides, flooding, power outages, and a minimum of 21 fatalities, according to state media reports. The bridge, located over the Red River in Phu Tho province, gave way on Monday morning, causing several motorcycles and cars to plunge into the river. Three individuals rescued from the water during ongoing efforts were transported to a hospital. Fortunately, no casualties have been reported so far.
Typhoon Yagi, with wind speeds of up to 149 kph (92 mph), hit Vietnam over the weekend and was considered the most powerful typhoon to strike in decades. Despite weakening to a tropical depression on Sunday, the country’s meteorological agency has cautioned that persistent heavy rainfall may trigger additional floods and landslides. Over the weekend, a landslide in Sa Pa town claimed the lives of six individuals, including an infant, and left nine others injured. Overall, there are reports of 21 fatalities and at least 299 injuries from the weekend incidents.
In the aftermath of the typhoon, the capital city, Hanoi, experienced overcast skies and intermittent rainfall on Monday morning while cleanup crews worked to remove uprooted trees, fallen billboards, and toppled electricity poles. Meanwhile, heavy rainfall persisted in northwestern Vietnam, with forecasts indicating that precipitation in certain regions could exceed 40 centimeters (15 inches). Initially, approximately 3 million people in Quang Ninh and Haiphong provinces were left without electricity, although the extent of power restoration remains unclear.
Both Quang Ninh and Haiphong provinces, industrial centers that host numerous factories manufacturing goods for companies like EV maker VinFast and Apple suppliers Pegatrong and USI, experienced significant damage. Many factory workers reported inundated industrial parks and factory roofs being blown away. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh visited Haiphong city on Sunday and approved a recovery fund of $4.62 million for the port city.
Furthermore, Typhoon Yagi also caused extensive harm to agricultural land in Vietnam, affecting nearly 116,192 hectares primarily used for cultivating rice. Prior to reaching Vietnam, the typhoon led to at least 20 fatalities in the Philippines and three in China. Experts like Benjamin Horton, director of the Earth Observatory of Singapore, suggest that storms like Typhoon Yagi are becoming more powerful due to climate change, which is fueling their intensity with warmer ocean waters supplying increased energy to the storms, resulting in higher wind speeds and heavier rainfall.
