(VOVWORLD) - As of 5:00 a.m. on Wednesday, the Department of Dyke Management and Natural Disaster Prevention and Control (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) reported that Storm Yagi and the subsequent floods have claimed the lives of 200 people, with many still missing, primarily in the provinces of Cao Bang, Lao Cai, and Yen Bai.
 Searching for missing persons in Lang Nu hamlet, Lao Cai province (Photo: VOV) |
In response to the severe destruction caused by the storm, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh sent a dispatch to local authorities in the affected regions on Tuesday, asking to prioritize the protection of lives and public safety.
He said immediate efforts should be focused on search and rescue of missing persons, providing medical care for the injured, delivering food and necessities to those at risk of hunger, arranging temporary shelters for displaced families, and urgently restoring livelihoods. The Prime Minister also called upon the Army and Police to deploy forces and equipment, including helicopters, to support relief efforts and deliver supplies to isolated communities.
Flash floods accompanied by rock and soil hit a commune of northern Lao Cai province, burying the entire village with 35 households and 158 people, with 18 found dead and 77 reported missing. The tragedy occurred at around 10:00 a.m. in Lang Nu village of Phuc Khanh commune, Bao Yen district, said local authorities.
Victims injured in Lang Nu hamlet flash flood were taken to Bao Yen District General Hospital for intensive treatment. Rescue operations are ongoing in the area.
Chairman of the Lao Cai Provincial People's Committee, Trinh Xuan Truong, said: “This is an immense loss for Lao Cai province. The province has promptly reported the situation to the Government and relevant authorities, while proactively mobilizing hundreds of officers, soldiers, and local residents to search for the victims and transport them to the hospital for emergency care.”
Yen Bai held an emergency meeting to address the aftermath of the storm, while in Thai Nguyen, floodwaters are receding, allowing relief operations to proceed throughout the night.
People nationwide are accelerating efforts to help affected people. Across Ho Chi Minh City, volunteers have worked overnight to pack and prepare essential supplies such as motorboats, flashlights, life jackets, dry food, and drinking water for immediate dispatch to the northern provinces.
Mr. Hoang Tuan Anh, General Director of PHGLock Vietnam, said: “We will coordinate with Youth Unions in northern cities and provinces to establish ATM rescue teams. Using motorboats, these teams will rescue people from severely flooded areas, deliver food, and transport isolated residents to safer locations.”
On Tuesday, a delegation of the Voice of Vietnam led by Vice President Vu Hai Quang, visited and offered condolences to the families of two soldiers who died while on duty during typhoon Yagi. The fallen soldiers were Senior Lieutenant Nguyen Dinh Khiem (born 1997), Captain of Company 3, Engineer Battalion 1, Engineer Brigade 513, Military Region 3, and Major Tran Quoc Hoang (born 1987), an officer at Quang Ninh Prison.