Typhoon Yagi also caused the collapse of a 375-meter-long bridge in the Phu Tho province of northern Vietnam on Monday morning. According to various reports, at least ten vehicles, including cars and motorbikes, fell off the Red River after the bridge’s collapse.
Seven people have been reported as missing after flood water washed away part of the bridge, as confirmed by the relevant authorities. The fast-flowing waters have topped the challenges faced in the rescue mission, which is still ongoing. Although part of the bridge has been brought down, some parts still remain. The local authorities are in the process of building a pontoon bridge with a view to reopening the area.
This happened at a time when Vietnam was still recovering from the effects of the strongest storm in those parts in decades – Typhoon Yagi. Storm arrived on Saturday and reported at least sixty-four deaths caused by flooding and landslides, damaging most of the northern provinces.
A similar case was the accident that occurred on the same day when a landslide occupied a passenger bus with 20 people inside in the Cao Bang province; the rescue work was slowed down by the roads’ blockage and the constant heavy rain.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has declared a state of emergency, declared relief assistance, and focused on military rescue and relief operations. The Yagi typhoon has caused heavy damage to northern Vietnam’s various industrial fields, causing power blackouts and massive factory destruction.
Much of the northern part of the Caribbean experienced widespread blackouts, with millions of households and businesses running out of electricity. Over 5. About 7 million customers were left in the dark, while more than ¾ of the power supply was restored by Monday.
Huynh Quang Liem, chairman of the Haiphong People’s Committee, said that two million people in industrial zones in the city were affected; factories’ roofs were blown off, and staff raced against rain to try to save their equipment. For instance, LG Electronics factories in South Korea’s Haiphong were said to have been severely affected, but there were no reports of loss of life among employees in that firm.
According to the Vietnam Meteorological Agency, the threats of floods and landslides still persist, with a 48-hour average rainfall of between 208mm and 433mm recorded in the northern parts of the country.
