Typhoon Yagi claims nine lives in Vietnam

Ha Long, Vietnam — Super Typhoon Yagi ripped roofs off buildings, sank boats and triggered landslides in Vietnam. As of Sunday, nine people had died on its way through southern China and the Philippines.

According to state media, a family of four was killed in a landslide in the mountainous province of Hoa Binh in northern Vietnam early Sunday morning.

The landslide occurred around midnight after Yagi had experienced heavy rain for several hours, causing a mountainside to give way and collapse onto a house, VNExpress reported, citing local authorities.

TRAIL OF DESTRUCTION Men collect debris on a flooded street after Super Typhoon Yagi hit Hai Phong on September 8, 2024. AFP PHOTO

The 51-year-old owner of the house was able to escape, but his wife, daughter and two grandchildren were buried and their bodies were recovered soon after.

Yagi, which devastated infrastructure and uprooted trees, reached northern Vietnam on Saturday with wind speeds of over 149 kilometers per hour.

Four people were killed on Saturday when roofs flew through the air, disaster management authorities said.

A man in Hai Duong province was killed on Friday when strong winds toppled a tree.

Several areas of the port city of Hai Phong were under half a meter of water on Sunday and there were power outages, power lines and electricity pylons were damaged, AFP journalists reported.

In Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage site about 70 kilometers off the city's coast, fishermen were shocked as they surveyed the damage on Sunday morning.

According to local residents, at least 23 boats were seriously damaged or sank at the Hai Au boat lock on Tuan Chau Island.

AFP journalists found roofs blown off buildings and motorcycles overturned in piles of rubble and glass.

Pham Van Thanh, 51, a crew member of a tourist boat, said the entire crew of the vessel had remained on board since Friday to prevent the boat from sinking.

“The wind was coming from behind and had so much pressure that no boat could withstand it,” he told AFP.

“Then the first one sank. Then one after the other.

“I have been a sailor for over 20 years and have never experienced such a strong and violent typhoon,” he said.

Before reaching Vietnam, Yagi swept through southern China and the Philippines, killing at least 24 people and injuring dozens more.

According to a study published in July, due to climate change, typhoons in the region are now forming closer to the coast, intensifying more quickly and staying over land longer.