Torrential rains, floods, landslides, and bridge collapse, all triggered by typhoon Yagi, had claimed 58 lives and left 40 others missing as of Monday night after the super storm made landfall in northern Vietnam on Saturday last week, according to the Vietnam Disaster and Dyke Management Authority under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Typhoon Yagi was considered the most powerful storm to have hammered the East Vietnam Sea over the past three decades.
Cao Bang Province recorded the highest number of deaths and missing people, with 17 dead and 16 missing.
Lao Cai Province confirmed 17 dead and 12 missing in the aftermath of the typhoon.
Eight people were killed and another was swept away by floods in Quang Ninh Province.
Phong Chau Bridge in Phu Tho Province collapsed, leaving at least 10 people missing on Monday, while landslides in Hoa Binh Province killed four people.
Yen Bai Province also reported three deaths from landslides.
Flash floods and strong winds, triggered by the typhoon, destroyed over 136,000 hectares of rice, 6,800 hectares of fruit trees, and 26,000 hectares of other crops.
More than 1,500 aquaculture cages were damaged or wiped out, while over 540,000 domestic animals in Hai Duong Province and Hai Phong City were killed.
The typhoon also disrupted telecommunications and power supplies in several localities in northern Vietnam such as Quang Ninh, Hai Phong, Thai Binh, Hai Duong, and Hanoi.
Heavy rains and powerful winds ravaged over 46,000 houses in Quang Ninh, Hai Phong, Bac Ninh, and Lang Son.
Numerous stores, buildings, and schools had their roofs blown away, while hundreds of trees were uprooted in several northern provinces.
In a concerted effort to support affected residents, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on Monday night issued a telegram urging relevant ministries and agencies to supply food, drinks, and necessities to disaster-hit households.
Typhoon Yagi, the third storm to hit Vietnam this year, and its circulation have caused heavy and torrential rains in the northern region, leading to deaths, huge losses of assets, and disruptions to production operations, according to the telegram.
Food, foodstuffs, field rations, instant noodles, necessities, and drinking water must be sent to these affected residents as soon as possible.
The order was aimed at bringing residents' daily life back on track, stabilizing business and production activities, leaving no one hungry, homeless, and cold, and bringing students back to school.
The finance minister was told to allocate 100 metric tons of rice each from the national reserves to the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Public Security to provide for affected provinces.
The prime minister asked relevant agencies and local authorities to review and repair healthcare facilities damaged by the storm and floods to promptly treat injured people.
Classes and schools damaged by the typhoon must be restored quickly in order not to disrupt students’ schooling, according to the order issued by the leader of the government.
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