Parts of Hanoi remain flooded as landslides hit northern Vietnam
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HANOI – Several Hanoi districts remained inundated on Sept 12, with the weather agency forecasting little change in the water level of the Red River over the next 24 hours, as floods and landslides continued to affect areas in northern Vietnam.
Vietnam is still reeling from the impact of Typhoon Yagi
At least 197 people have been killed and 128 others missing since the storm struck, according to the government’s disaster management agency. Some 800 people have been injured.
High water levels have “flooded riverside and low-lying areas, eroded dykes and threatened parts of Hanoi and other northern provinces”, the agency said in a report.
The city’s authorities had earlier evacuated thousands of people living near the swollen river as its waters rose to a 20-year high.
“There’s a lot of heartbreak in the city and there was a lot of concern going into the evening,” said Ms Skye Maconachie, co-chief executive of charity Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation, which is based in Hanoi. “Many people who barely had anything have lost everything.”
She added: “It’s going to be a long journey of recovery, especially for replacing people’s livelihoods and getting them into safe and clean homes.”
In the north of Hanoi, deadly landslides and severe floods are still affecting several areas, according to state media reports.
“I never thought my house would be underwater this deep,” said Mr Hoang Van Ty outside his home in Thai Nguyen province.
“My clothes and furniture are all under the water. Many things were floating around, too, but luckily, I closed the doors so nothing was washed away.”
Thai Nguyen province is home to Samsung Electronics’ largest smartphone manufacturing plant in Vietnam.
Floodwaters have receded in some parts of the province, where clean-up efforts are now taking place.
In Lao Cai province, the authorities on Sept 12 were rushing to search for 55 people missing in a flash flood that swept through Nu Village on Sept 10, Vietnam News Agency reported.
The flash flood killed 46 people and injured 17 others in the village, the agency reported, adding that 300 soldiers and 359 local officials were joining the search and rescue effort.
The landslides and floods have inundated more than 200,000ha of rice and cash crop fields, according to the disaster management agency.
The typhoon has also disrupted power supplies and blown off roofs of several factories in Haiphong and Quang Ninh provinces, halting their production.
Several countries, including Australia, Japan and the United States, have announced that they were sending aid to Vietnam. REUTERS
