Super Typhoon Yagi hits Vietnam: At least four killed amid widespread destruction
Super Typhoon Yagi tore through northern Vietnam on Saturday, claiming at least four lives. It also caused widespread devastation by uprooting thousands of trees, sweeping ships and boats out to sea, and ripping roofs off houses after leaving a path of destruction through Southern China and the Philippines.
Yagi made landfall in Vietnam’s Hai Phong and Quang Ninh provinces with winds exceeding 149 kilometers (92 miles) per hour, according to Vietnam’s National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.
The three casulaties were reportedly due roofing being torn away in Quang Ninh, while the fourth was in c Hai Duong on Friday due to heavy winds bringing down a tree, according to AFP. A man in Hai Duong province was also killed on Friday when heavy winds brought down a tree. Additionally, more than a dozen others, believed to be sailors on fishing boats, are currently missing.
“It has been years since I witnessed a typhoon this big,” said Tran Thi Hoa, a 48-year-old woman from Hai Phong. “It was scary. I stayed indoors, after locking all my windows. However, the sound of the wind and the rain was unbelievable,” she told AFP.
In Hai Phong, AFP reporters encountered streets strewn with fallen trees, metal roofing, and broken signboards that had been ripped from properties.
Before striking Vietnam, Yagi ravaged Southern China and the Philippines, resulting in at least 24 deaths and numerous injuries. In China, the storm brought winds of more than 230 kilometers (143 miles) per hour, uprooting trees and leading to the evacuation of around 460,000 people, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.
At least four people were killed and 95 injured in Southern China after Yagi affected Hainan and Guangdong provinces on Friday, CCTV reported Saturday, citing local authorities. Before hitting the Vietnamese mainland, the typhoon uprooted hundreds of trees on Co To island, about 80 kilometers from mainland Quang Ninh. Office buildings, schools, and houses were unroofed by the fierce winds, while signboards lay scattered and electrical lines were snapped and tangled.
As the typhoon neared, authorities reported that the city suffered from electricity disruptions on Saturday.
