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Southeast Asia faces destruction from Typhoon Yagi, over 200 dead
Millions of people across Southeast Asia grappled Thursday with the devastation wrought by Typhoon Yagi, which killed more than 200 people, flooded entire neighborhoods and destroyed infrastructure. In Vietnam, the country hardest hit by floods and landslides in the wake of the typhoon, the death toll rose to 197, up from 155 on Wednesday. Thailand confirmed nine deaths on Thursday, authorities said. Yagi made landfall in Vietnam over the weekend, flooding much of the northern part of the country. Strong winds later hit Laos, Thailand and Myanmar, causing deadly landslides and flooding rivers. A Vietnamese farmer saw his 800 square meters of peach fields submerged, with some 400 trees destroyed. “I think I will lose up to $40,000 this season,” he told AFP. “I really don’t know what to do now, I’m just waiting for the water to recede.” More than 250,000 hectares of farmland have been destroyed in Vietnam and many livestock have died, according to the Ministry of Agriculture. – Communications cut – In some areas of the Vietnamese capital, people trudged to work through calf-deep brown water as river levels slowly receded after reaching their highest level in 20 years on Wednesday. Thousands of people have been evacuated, bridges and factories and much infrastructure have been destroyed, causing power cuts. In one badly hit district on the outskirts of Hanoi, more than 15,000 people have been affected by the flooding. A landslide in the mountainous northern province of Lao Cai has killed seven people and left 11 missing, state media reported. The incident happened on Tuesday but was only just reported because communications were down. In the same province, another landslide wiped out a village of 37 homes, killing at least 42 people, with 53 still missing. Fifteen bodies were found in Cao Bang province after a landslide pushed a bus, cars and motorbikes into a river, state media reported Thursday. – Flood warning in Luang Prabang – The Mekong River Commission, an international body responsible for monitoring the crucial waterway, issued a flood warning Thursday for the Laotian city of Luang Prabang, home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In Thailand, the death toll rose to nine, including six in landslides in Chiang Mai province, according to the disaster management department. All flights have been suspended at Chiang Rai airport, about 145 km (90 miles) northeast of Chiang Mai, aviation authorities said. Further north, Mae Sai district on the border with Myanmar is experiencing its worst flooding in 80 years, said Suttipong Juljarern, a senior interior ministry official. The Thai military has been mobilized to rescue victims, deploying three helicopters. Buddhist temples, hotels and resorts have sheltered nearly 1,000 people who have been forced to evacuate their homes, the government said. In Myanmar, the worst flooding has been reported around the low-lying junta’s new capital, Naypyidaw, while the city of Taungu is also under threat from flooding. Rail services between Yangon and Mandalay have been suspended due to flooding, according to the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar. Before hitting Vietnam, Typhoon Yagi passed through southern China and the Philippines last week, killing at least 24 people and leaving dozens missing and injured. A study in July found that typhoons in the region are now forming closer to shore, intensifying more quickly and staying over land for longer because of climate change.burs-pdw/lgo/roc/cm
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