Typhoon Yagi: Death toll climbs to 197 in Vietnam amid flash floods and landslides

More than 125 are missing as flash floods and landslides leave people wading through waist-deep water

Nearly 200 people have died in Vietnam in the aftermath of Typhoon Yagi and more than 125 are missing due to widespread flash floods and landslides.

On Wednesday, the death toll stood at 197 and 128 were still missing, while more than 800 have been injured, Vietnam’s VNExpress newspaper reported.

The toll spiked earlier in the week as a flash flood swept away the entire hamlet of Lang Nu in northern Vietnam's Lao Cai province Tuesday.

Hundreds of rescue personnel worked throughout Wednesday to search for survivors, but as of Thursday morning 53 villagers remained missing, according to reports, while seven more bodies were found, bringing the death toll in Lao Cai to 42.

Yagi, the strongest typhoon to hit Asia this year, unleashed torrential rain and strong winds across northern Vietnam, including Hanoi. Despite weakening on Sunday, downpours continued this week and rivers remain dangerously high.

Five days after the typhoon’s landfall the rainfall continued in Hanoi and as floodwaters continued to rise thousands of residents in low-lying areas were forced to leave their homes.

The flooding in capital Hanoi has been reportedly the worst in two decades, and has led to widespread evacuations. Flood waters from the Red River receded slightly but many areas were still inundated.

In Hanoi’s Tay Ho district, people waded through muddy brown water above their knees to make their way along one street, some still wearing their bicycle and motorcycle helmets after abandoning their vehicles along the way.

A man pushes a stack of plyboards in flood following Typhoon Yagi in Hanoi, Vietnam on Tuesday (AP Photo/Huy Han)

Pedestrians hiked up their shorts as high as possible to avoid being soaked by the wake caused by a delivery truck powering its way through the water.

“This is the worst flood I have seen in 30 years,” said Tran Le Quyen, a 42-year-old Hanoi resident.

“It was dry yesterday morning. Now the entire street is flooded. We couldn’t sleep last night.”

The storm caused a bridge collapse on Monday and severe flooding across the Red River Delta, the region’s largest river system.

Some schools in Hanoi have closed for the rest of the week amid safety concerns. The floods have severely impacted communities, particularly those living near the Red River.

“My home is now part of the river,” said Nguyen Van Hung, 56, who lives near the riverbank.

Floods and landslides in other provinces have compounded the disaster’s toll. On Saturday when Yagi made landfall, it killed nine people. But landslides, floods and related incidents have since killed over a hundred people.

Factories and warehouses in northern Vietnam’s industrial hubs were also damaged, disrupting operations. With many multinational companies relying on these facilities, the impact could ripple through global supply chains.

Flood triggered by Typhoon Yagi submerges houses in Lang Son province, Vietnam on Monday (Nguyen Anh Tuan/VNA via AP)

Charity organisations have mobilised to assist affected residents.

“People were moving frantically,” said Carlota Torres Lliro, press officer for the Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation, which evacuated its office after receiving flood warnings.

She expressed concern for “dozens of kids and families who live in slum areas and makeshift houses by the river.”

Before lashing Vietnam, Yagi churned through southwest China and Philippines, where it killed at least 24 people and left the streets inundated for days.

Yagi was the most powerful storm of the year, which reached the strength of a Category 5 hurricane before making landfall in China.

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