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CatastropheAsia

Typhoon Yagi batters Thailand, Myanmar as Vietnam cleans up

September 13, 2024

The death toll has continued to rise across Vietnam, Myanmar and Thailand, while scores of people remain missing. Authorities have warned of more flash flooding.

https://p.dw.com/p/4kcAz
Rescuers in Lang Nu, Vietnam
The Vietnamese village of Lang Nu was engulfed by landslides earlier this weekImage: Duong Van Giang/VNA/AP Photo/picture alliance

Millions of people across Southeast Asia struggled with torrential rains, floods and landslides caused by Typhoon Yagi on Friday.

The death toll passed 300 across Vietnam, Myanmar and Thailand, with the storm threatening more extreme weather in the coming days.

Emergency services in Vietnam began cleaning up, while also searching for those still missing.

In Thailand and Myanmar, hundreds of thousands of people have been forced from their homes due to torrential rains and flooding.

Rescuers keep searching in Vietnam

In Vietnam, officials said the death toll rose to 254 on Friday.

More than 820 people have been injured and 82 are still missing.

People cleaning the streets in Hanoi, Vietnam
Residents in Vietnam began cleaning up after days of floodsImage: Nhac Nguyen/AFP

Most fatalities have come from the northern province of Lao Cai, where a flash flood engulfed the tiny mountain hamlet of Lang Nu on Tuesday.

At least 48 people were found dead in the village. Rescue teams were searching for 39 people who are still missing.

"Their families are in agony," Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said.

UNICEF said that hundreds of thousands of children have lost their homes, while 2 million have been left without access to education, psychosocial support and school meal programs.

"The actual number of schools and students affected across the worst-affected provinces is expected to be much higher," it added.

Myanmar soldiers carrying an elderly woman
Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to evacuate in MyanmarImage: Sai Aung Main/AFP

Yagi compounds Myanmar crisis

Typhoon Yagi has compounded suffering in Myanmar, where civilians are living through the worst by fighting since the military seized power in 2021.

The country's military junta said more than 235,000 people have been forced from their homes, while at least 33 people have been killed as of Friday.

The junta's director of the social welfare, Lay Shwe Zin Oo, told the AFP news agency that around 50 camps had been set up to help people affected by the floods.

Thailand braces for days of floods

At least 10 people have died in Thailand due to flooding or landslides, authorities said.

On Friday, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra flew to the northern border town of Mae Sai, which has seen the worst flooding in 80 years, to met with people affected by the storm.

An aerial shot of a flooded town in Chiang Rai, Thailand
Northern Thailand has experienced the worst flooding in decadesImage: Anupong Intawong/REUTERS

All flights have been suspended to and from the airport in Chiang Rai to the south.

Thailand's Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation said multiple areas will be threatened by flash flooding through next Wednesday because new rain was expected to cause the Mekong River to swell even more.

zc/jcg (Reuters, AFP, AP)