HANOI, Vietnam (TIP): Nearly 200 people have died in Vietnam in the aftermath of Typhoon Yagi and 128 are missing as flash floods and landslides take their toll, state media reported September 12. Vietnam’s VNExpress newspaper reported that 199 people have died while more than 800 have been injured.
In the capital, flood waters from the Red River receded slightly but many areas were still inundated with water neck-high in some places.
In Hanoi’s Tay Ho district, people waded through muddy brown water above their knees to make their way along one street, some still wearing their bicycle and motorcycle helmets after abandoning their vehicles along the way.
Pedestrians hiked up their shorts as high as possible to avoid being soaked by the wake caused by a delivery truck powering its way through the water.
Bakery owner Mai Anh evacuated the area with her family to shelter with her parents, but returned Thursday to check on her shop and found more than two feet (half a meter) of water still inside.
“I can’t do business with the flood like this,” she said. “The goods in my shop are all destroyed.” The flooding in Hanoi has been reportedly the worst in two decades. Residents started evacuating the area Tuesday as the flood waters rose, and power and drinking water have been cut since Wednesday. The flood waters damaged the doors to Hoang Anh Tu’s home, from which he operates a beer shop. Though he and his family were able to relocate to his parents’ house, they have had to take turns guarding the building. “It’s very difficult,” he said. “We haven’t even been able to assess the damage because the flood came so fast.” (AP)