Typhoon Yagi Kills 14, Leaves Nearly 200 Injured in Northern Vietnam

At least 14 people have been killed and nearly 200 injured after Typhoon Yagi made landfall in northern Vietnam, authorities said today, as recovery and relief efforts continued. The deaths included four people in one family killed early today when their house collapsed, the Search and Rescue Operations Department of Vietnam's Defence Ministry said in a report. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh convened a video conference with representatives from 26 provinces and cities affected by adverse weather condition to discuss the typhoon's impacts. Authorities reported to Chinh that over 3,000 houses have been damaged, 120,000 hectares of rice paddy fields inundated and more than 1,000 fisheries destroyed and swept away. A day after Yagi made landfall with strong winds and heavy rains, there were still widespread power outages in parts of the country as crews work to repair hundreds of downed power poles and dozens of damaged transformer stations. Typhoon Yagi battered Vietnam yesterday (Saturday) before being dow ngraded to a tropical depression over the country's Northwest Region early today. Authorities have warned flash floods and landslides could occur as land in the mountainous area has absorbed too much water. Yagi had previously ravaged the Philippines, where it claimed at least 16 lives, and China, where at least four died. Source: Oman News Agency