Super Typhoon Yagi Hits Vietnam, Leaving Trail of Destruction

AFP/APP

Vietnam: Super Typhoon Yagi slammed into northern Vietnam on Saturday, causing widespread destruction, uprooting thousands of trees, sweeping ships and boats out to sea, and tearing roofs off homes. The deadly storm claimed at least four lives after devastating southern China and the Philippines.

The typhoon made landfall in Vietnam’s Hai Phong and Quang Ninh provinces, bringing powerful winds exceeding 149 kilometers (92 miles) per hour, according to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

In Quang Ninh, three residents were killed when roofing torn away by the storm flew through the air, state media reported. A fourth fatality occurred in Hai Duong province when heavy winds felled a tree on Friday.

In addition to the casualties, over a dozen individuals, mostly sailors on fishing boats, are reported missing.

“It has been years since I witnessed a typhoon this big,” said Tran Thi Hoa, a 48-year-old resident of Hai Phong. “It was terrifying. I stayed indoors after locking all my windows, but the sound of the wind and rain was overwhelming,” she told AFP.

In Hai Phong, streets were littered with fallen trees, mangled metal roofing, and broken signboards ripped from buildings, AFP reporters observed.

Before ravaging Vietnam, Yagi left a trail of destruction across southern China and the Philippines, where it claimed at least 24 lives and injured dozens more.