Post-typhoon floods leave 181 dead, 145 missing

Heavy rains and floods triggered by super typhoon Yagi, one of the strongest to hit Vietnam in decades, had left 181 dead and 145 missing as of 10:00 pm on September 11, statistics show.

Youth volunteers help residents in Yen Phu ward, Hanoi get to a safer place. (Photo: VNA)

Heavy rains and floods triggered by super typhoon Yagi, one of the strongest to hit Vietnam in decades, had left 181 dead and 145 missing as of 10:00 pm on September 11, statistics show.

The northern mountainous provinces of Lao Cai recorded 72 dead and 111 missing, Cao Bang 34 dead and 18 missing, and Yen Bai 40 dead and four missing, according to the Department of Dyke Management and Natural Disaster Prevention and Control under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Other northern localities, including Quang Ninh, Hai Phong, Hai Duong, Hanoi, Hoa Binh, Lang Son, Bac Giang, Tuyen Quang, Ha Giang, Lai Chau, Vinh Phuc, and Phu Tho, also reported the human losses.

Major rivers such as Thao, Lo, Thuong, Luc Nam, Thai Binh, and Hong (Red) have reached warning levels, causing threats to cities and provinces they run through.

The same day, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh issued an official dispatch urging all-out efforts to respond to floods and ensure safety of the northern river dyke system, especially along Hong and Thai Binh Rivers.

In the dispatch, sent to relevant localities and ministries, the PM pointed out that flood levels on some rivers have even surpassed alert level 3, inundating floodplains, and threatening residential areas.

He asked leaders of the cities and provinces to heighten vigilance, mobilise the entire political system in the response effort, dispatch personnel to key areas, and prepare workforce and equipment to handle emerging incidents.

The leader ordered plans to ensure human safety, saying no one should be left as floodwaters rise.

The Minister of Natural Resources and Environment needs to instruct competent agencies to better the forecasting work, he said. Meanwhile, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development was asked to direct localities to reinforce river dykes, and coordinate with agencies in operating reservoirs.

The PM also assigned specific tasks to the Minister of National Defence, the Minister of Public Security, the Minister of Industry and Trade, and the Minister of Transport, among others.

Under the PM’s decision dated September 11, up to 200 tonnes of rice from the national reserves will be allocated to residents in the storm-stricken localities of Lao Cai, Hoa Binh, Son La, Lai Chau, Dien Bien, Ha Giang, Cao Bang, Bac Kan, Yen Bai, Tuyen Quang, Phu Tho, Bac Giang, Thai Nguyen, and Lang Son.