200 Dead as Typhoon Yagi Delivers Floods to Southeast Asia

AFP/APP

Hanoi: Millions across Southeast Asia faced severe flooding, power outages, and damaged infrastructure on Thursday after Typhoon Yagi swept through the region, pushing the death toll past 200.

In the hardest-hit Vietnam, fatalities have reached 197. Northern Thailand reported nine deaths, with one district experiencing its worst floods in 80 years.

Myanmar’s national fire service confirmed 17 deaths related to Yagi, with more than 50,000 people displaced from their homes in the Mandalay region.

The typhoon brought a massive deluge of rain, inundating northern Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar. This resulted in deadly landslides and widespread river flooding.

A farmer on the outskirts of Hanoi reported that his entire 1,800-square-meter peach blossom plantation was submerged, destroying all 400 of his trees. “It will be very difficult to recover from this loss—I estimate a $40,000 loss this season,” said the farmer, who identified himself only as Tu.

“I don’t know what to do now; I’m just waiting for the water to recede.”

The United Nations Children’s Agency (UNICEF) reported that the typhoon has damaged more than 140,000 homes across 26 provinces in Vietnam.