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photo-article-logo Monday, 14 October 2024

Hanoi flooded by river as Typhoon Yagi leaves 155 dead, thousands evacuated from areas near swollen river

Asia's most powerful typhoon this year, Yagi brought gales and heavy rain as it moved westwards after landfall on Saturday

Our Bureau And Agencies Vietnam Published 11.09.24, 07:50 PM

Vietnam's capital of Hanoi evacuated thousands of people living near the swollen Red River as its waters rose to a 20-year high, flooding streets days after Typhoon Yagi battered the country's north, killing at least 155 people.

Asia's most powerful typhoon this year, Yagi brought gales and heavy rain as it moved westwards after landfall on Saturday, collapsing a bridge this week while it scythed through provinces along the Red River, the area's biggest.

People wade through a flooded street following the impact of Typhoon Yagi, in Hanoi, Vietnam, September 11, 2024
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People wade through a flooded street following the impact of Typhoon Yagi, in Hanoi, Vietnam, September 11, 2024

REUTERS/Khanh Vu
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"My home is now part of the river," said Nguyen Van Hung, 56, who lives in a neighbourhood on the banks of the Red River.

Across the country, the typhoon and subsequent landslides and floods have killed 155 people while 141 were missing, the government estimated.

Vietnam's state-run power utility EVN said on Wednesday it had cut off power from some flooded parts of the capital due to safety concerns.

Mai Van Khiem, director of the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, said in a statement that the Red River was at its highest in two decades and that more rain was expected over the next two days.

A generic view of a flooded street following the impact of Typhoon Yagi, in Hanoi, Vietnam, September 11, 2024
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A generic view of a flooded street following the impact of Typhoon Yagi, in Hanoi, Vietnam, September 11, 2024

REUTERS/Khanh Vu

Some schools in Hanoi have told students to stay home for the rest of the week, while thousands of residents of low-lying areas have been evacuated, the government and state media said.

Nearer the city centre, charity Blue Dragon Children's Foundation evacuated its office on Tuesday, after authorities warned of flood risks.

A boy sits in a floating basket as people wade through a flooded street following the impact of Typhoon Yagi, in Hanoi, Vietnam, September 11, 2024
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A boy sits in a floating basket as people wade through a flooded street following the impact of Typhoon Yagi, in Hanoi, Vietnam, September 11, 2024

REUTERS/Khanh Vu

"People were moving frantically, moving their motorbikes, relocating items," said spokesperson Carlota Torres Lliro, expressing concern for dozens of children and families living in makeshift houses by the river.

EVN said on Wednesday it had stopped discharging water from Hoa Binh hydropower dam, the second largest in northern Vietnam, into Red River tributary, the Da River, to reduce water flows.

A woman holds a boy as she wades through a flooded street following the impact of Typhoon Yagi, in Thai Nguyen City, Vietnam, September 11, 2024
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A woman holds a boy as she wades through a flooded street following the impact of Typhoon Yagi, in Thai Nguyen City, Vietnam, September 11, 2024

REUTERS/Thinh Nguyen

Vietnamese authorities also raised concerns on Wednesday about Chinese hydropower plants releasing water into another Red River tributary, the Lo River, known in China as Panlongjiang, with Beijing saying the two countries were cooperating on flood prevention.

Yagi wreaked havoc on many factories and flooded warehouses in coastal export-oriented industrial hubs east of Hanoi, forcing closures, with some only expected to resume full operations after weeks, executives said.

A general view of a factory belonging to LG Electronics collapsed following the impact of Typhoon Yagi, in Trang Due Industrial Zone, Hai Phong city, Vietnam, September 9, 2024
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A general view of a factory belonging to LG Electronics collapsed following the impact of Typhoon Yagi, in Trang Due Industrial Zone, Hai Phong city, Vietnam, September 9, 2024

REUTERS/Minh Nguyen

The disruptions threaten global supply chains as Vietnam hosts large operations of multinationals that ship mostly to the United States, Europe and other developed nations.

Elsewhere, in provinces north of the capital, landslides triggered by heavy floods killed dozens.

People wade through a flooded street following the impact of Typhoon Yagi, in Thai Nguyen City, Vietnam, September 11, 2024
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People wade through a flooded street following the impact of Typhoon Yagi, in Thai Nguyen City, Vietnam, September 11, 2024

REUTERS/Thinh Nguyen

"My house's first floor is completely under the water," said Nguyen Duc Tam, a 40-year-old resident of Thai Nguyen, a city about 60 km (37 miles) from Hanoi.

"Now we have no fresh water and electricity," he said.

Another resident, Hoang Hai Luan, 30, said he had not experienced such flooding in more than 20 years in the area.

Shop owners stand inside their flooded shop following the impact of Typhoon Yagi, in Hanoi, Vietnam, September 11, 2024
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Shop owners stand inside their flooded shop following the impact of Typhoon Yagi, in Hanoi, Vietnam, September 11, 2024

REUTERS/Khanh Vu

"My belongings and possibly those of many others are completely lost."

Among the factories located on the outskirts of the city of about 400,000, is a large facility for Samsung Electronics , which ships about half of its smartphones worldwide from Vietnam.

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