09 September, 2024
A powerful ocean storm caused deadly floods and landslides in the northern part of Vietnam over the weekend. Typhoon Yagi is the strongest such storm to hit the country in years.
In Phu Tho province, a bridge over the Red River collapsed Monday. Reports said 10 cars and trucks and two motorbikes fell into the river. Rescuers saved three people from the river. Thirteen others are missing.
In Cao Ban province, a landslide pushed a bus carrying 20 people into a flooded stream.
In the northern town of Sa Pa, a popular area for foreign visitors, a landslide killed six people on Sunday.
The storm is responsible for at least 59 deaths in Vietnam, officials said.
Yagi effects Vietnam's industry
Northern Vietnam is a center for manufacturing. Many foreign companies have operations there, and it is a base for export activity.
State newspaper Lao Dong reported many businesses were closed Monday because of heavy damage. The storm destroyed several factories. Others had water leaks that damaged goods and costly equipment.
Damage to electrical equipment in Haiphong and Quang Ninh provinces caused power outages Monday. The two provinces are industrial centers for export goods. Factories for electric vehicle maker VinFast, Pegatrong, a supplier for Apple, and electronics supplier USI were among those without power.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh visited the port city of Haiphong on Sunday and approved aid worth $4.6 million.
Korean manufacturer LG Electronics reported no injuries among its employees. But it said the storm flooded a building that stored its finished products, including refrigerators and washing machines. Hong Sun, the chair of the South Korean business association in Vietnam, said there was a lot of damage.
State-operated power company EVN said more than 5.7 million customers had lost power and many power lines had been broken.
Bruno Jaspaert is head of DEEP C, a Belgian industrial developer and operator. Jaspaert oversees factories in Haiphong and Quang Ninh provinces. He said, “Everyone is scrambling to make sites safe, and stocks dry.”
The typhoon made landfall on Saturday in northeast Vietnam. At its strongest, the storm had winds measured at 149 kilometers an hour.
By Sunday, the storm had weakened to a tropical depression, a storm below the level of a typhoon. However, Vietnam's weather agency continues to warn of landslides.
VN Express reported that the water levels of several rivers in northern Vietnam remain dangerously high.
The deadly storm also affected other parts of Southeast Asia. Reports say 20 people in the Philippines and four in southern China also died in the storm. On China's Hainan Island, officials reported that more than 50,000 homes were damaged or destroyed.
I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.
Mario Ritter, Jr. adapted this story for VOA Learning English from Associated Press and Reuters reports.
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Words in This Story
customer –n. a person or group that pays for goods or services
scramble –v. to move quickly, often on hands and knees, usually because of something urgent or necessary
stocks –n. (pl.) an amount of a product that for sale and is available for shipment at any given time