Typhoon Yagi in Vietnam: Death toll rises to 233 as more bodies found in areas hit by landslides and floods

Rescue workers search for the missing ones after a flash flood buries a hamlet in mud and debris in the aftermath of Typhoon Yagi in Lao Cai province, Vietnam, on September 12, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

“The death toll in the aftermath of a typhoon Yagi in Vietnam climbed to 233 on Friday (September 13, 2024) as rescue workers recovered more bodies from areas hit by landslides and flash floods,” state media reported.

State-run broadcaster VTV said emergency crews have now recovered 48 bodies from the area of Lang Nu, a small village in northern Lao Cai province that was swept away in a deluge of water, mud and debris from mountains on Tuesday (September 10, 2024). Another 39 people are still missing. Across Vietnam, 103 people are still listed as missing and more than 800 have been injured.

Also read: Typhoon Yagi: 143 dead, 58 missing after powerful storm hits Vietna

Typhoon Yagi was the strongest typhoon to hit the Southeast Asian country in decades. It made landfall on Saturday (September 7, 2024) with winds of up to 149 kph (92 mph). Though it had weakened by Sunday, downpours continued and rivers remain dangerously high.

Roads to Lang Nu have been badly damaged, making it impossible to bring heavy equipment in to aid in the rescue effort.

Some 500 personnel with sniffer dogs are on hand, and in a visit to the scene on Thursday (September 12, 2024), Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh promised they would not relent in their search for those still missing. “Their families are in agony,” Mr. Chinh said.

In a sign of hope, eight people from two Lang Nu households were found safe on Friday morning, state-run VNExpress newspaper reported. They had been out of the area at the time when the flash flood hit.