HANOI (AFP) — Emergency workers raced to evacuate thousands of people from severe floods Tuesday after typhoon “Yagi” swept through northern Vietnam, killing at least 82 people and leaving 40 missing.
“Yagi” struck Saturday with winds in excess of 149 kilometers per hour, making it the most powerful typhoon to hit northern Vietnam in 30 years according to meteorologists.
The storm downed bridges, tore roofs off buildings, damaged factories and triggered widespread flooding and landslides.
The north of the country — densely populated and a major manufacturing hub for global tech firms including Samsung — is now battling “historic” flooding, meteorologists said.
Authorities have issued flood and landslide warnings for 429 communes across 17 northern provinces.
One-story homes in parts of Thai Nguyen and Yen Bai cities were almost completely submerged in the early hours of Tuesday, with residents waiting on the roofs for help.
Rescue forces were trying to reach residential areas to retrieve old people and children. On social media, relatives of those stuck in floodwater posted desperate pleas for help and supplies.
In Hanoi, communities along the swollen and fast-moving Red River, which flows through the capital, were also partially under water, with people forced to evacuate in boats.
Downtown Hoan Kiem District was forced to relocate 460 people on Tuesday.
Crops including bananas, guavas and corn — which are usually sold in nearby markets — were all flooded.