Super Typhoon Yagi Kills 59 in Vietnam, Threatens More Floods (PHOTOS)

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The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development reports that Super Typhoon Yagi, Asia’s strongest storm of the year, has caused hundreds of injuries and at least 59 fatalities in northern Vietnam, with landslides accounting for the majority of the victims. Authorities have issued a warning of further flooding and landslides as the storm travels westward, despite downgrading the storm to a tropical depression. State media said that a landslide in Hoa Binh province killed four family members, including two children, and that a similar tragedy in Lao Cai province resulted in the burial of 17 persons.

With winds reaching 203 km/h (126 mph), the typhoon made landfall in northern Vietnam on Saturday. It mostly affected the provinces of Hai Phong and Quang Ninh, causing structural damage, tree uprooting, and power outages throughout the region, including the capital, Hanoi. Foreign media stated that 41 fishing boats were sunk or drifted in the aftermath of the storm, and that search and rescue efforts were still on to recover 27 people from several areas of Hai Phong that were under half a meter of floodwater.

Beyond Vietnam, the storm’s effects were seen in areas of China and the Philippines, where it caused widespread evacuations and at least 24 fatalities. China evacuated 400,000 people from Hainan, where there were extensive power outages and crop damage. Scientists warn that because of warmer ocean temperatures and more atmospheric moisture, these storms are becoming stronger, more frequent, and longer-lasting over land as a result of climate change.

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