Typhoon Yagi has killed 59 people in northern Vietnam, state media reported Monday. “As of noon (7 a.m. CET), the number of people killed by Typhoon Yagi reached 59, including 44 killed in landslides and flash floods,” VNEXpress reported. Local authorities also reported 247 injured.
Before hitting Vietnam, Typhoon Yagi passed through southern China and the Philippines, killing at least 24 people and injuring dozens. The typhoon’s path reached the country along its northeastern coast, which is home to many local and foreign industrial sites. Wind gusts exceeded 149 km/h.
The typhoon has since been downgraded to a tropical depression by Vietnam’s meteorological agency. Yagi is considered by meteorologists to be the most powerful typhoon to hit the north of the country in the past three decades.
A “disaster” for local factories
Its passage will have deprived millions of homes and businesses of electricity, submerged several roads and disrupted communication networks, leading to the suspension of activity in several industrial nodes.
“Everyone is trying to secure the sites and keep the stocks dry,” said Bruno Jaspaert, general manager of the DEEP industrial park complex.
On the ground, economic representatives deplored Monday a “disaster” for the factories in the region. This locality, crucial for the economy of Vietnam, is home to factories of electronics giants such as Samsung and Foxconn.
South Korean home appliance giant LG Electronics said it had no employee casualties but suffered significant damage to several warehouses.
The national weather agency warned that floods and landslides could occur again, noting that rainfall had reached between 208 and 433 millimetres in several parts of the north of the country in the past 24 hours.
5.7 million customers were left without electricity over the weekend, due in part to damage to dozens of high-voltage lines. On Monday, 1.5 million people were still without power, according to EVN, the state electricity supplier.
- BFMTV.com
