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Typhoon Yagi death toll rises to 262 in Vietnam, dozens still missing

The Southeast Asian country is reeling from the impact of the strongest storm to hit Asia this year which made landfall on its northeastern coast .

Reuters

More than 820 people have been injured and 83 are still missing, the state disaster management agency said. / Photo: Reuters

With 29 more deaths in the past 24 hours, the death toll in Vietnam from Typhoon Yagi has risen to 262, local media has said.

More than 820 people have been injured and 83 are still missing, VN Express reported on Saturday, citing the state disaster management agency.

Yagi last week triggered heavy rain, floods, and landslides on Vietnam’s northeastern coast.

Authorities are still searching for 41 people who are missing after heavy floods swept away 37 homes in the village of Nu in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai.

Some 46 others are also confirmed dead in the village, said the report.

Around 115 people in another village in Lao Cai, who were declared missing, returned safely after taking shelter on a mountain for two days.

Hundreds of thousands of children have lost their homes and are lacking access to clean water, sanitation and healthcare, the UN children's agency UNICEF said in a statement.

About 2 million children have been left without access to education, psychosocial support and school feeding programmes as schools have been damaged and hit by power and water shortages, it added.

Climate crisis

Experts say storms like Typhoon Yagi are getting stronger due to the climate crisis, as warmer ocean waters provide more energy to fuel them, leading to higher winds and heavier rainfall.

The effects of the typhoon, the strongest to hit Vietnam in decades, were also being felt across the region, with flooding and landslides in northern Thailand, Laos and northeastern Myanmar.

In Thailand, 10 deaths have been reported due to flooding or landslides, and Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra flew to the north on Friday to visit the border town of Mae Sai.

Thailand's Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation warned of a continuing risk of flash floods in multiple areas through next Wednesday, as new rain was expected to increase the Mekong River's levels further.

International aid has been flowing into Vietnam in the aftermath of Yagi, with Australia already delivering humanitarian supplies as part of $2 million in assistance.