Flash flood sweeps away hamlet as Vietnam storm death toll rises
11 September 2024, 11:24
A total of 155 people have died after the flooding.
A flash flood has swept away an entire hamlet in northern Vietnam, killing 30 people and leaving dozens missing as deaths from a typhoon and its aftermath climbed to 155 on Wednesday.
Vietnamese state broadcaster VTV said the torrent of water gushing down from a mountain in Lao Cai province on Tuesday buried Lang Nu hamlet with 35 families in mud and debris.
Only about a dozen people are known to have survived so far. Rescuers have recovered 30 bodies and are continuing the search for about 65 others.
The death toll from Typhoon Yagi and its aftermath has climbed to 155, with 141 missing and hundreds injured, VTV said.
Yagi was the strongest typhoon to hit the south-east Asian country in decades. It made landfall on Saturday with winds of up to 149 kph (92mph) and despite weakening on Sunday, downpours have continued and rivers remain dangerously high.
Floods and landslides have caused most of the deaths, many of which have come in the north-western Lao Cai province, bordering China, where Lang Nu is located.
Lao Cai province is also home to the popular trekking destination of Sapa.
Many roads in the province were blocked by landslides and unrelenting rainfall, said Sapa tour guide Van A Po. The weather has forced them to limit travel with all trekking suspended.
