LG Electronics Local Factories and Industry Also Suffer Damage
Super Typhoon 'Yagi' struck Vietnam, causing severe damage including the collapse of a railway bridge and buses being swept away by raging waters. The death and missing toll has risen to at least 59 due to consecutive accidents. Local industries, including factories of Korean companies, have also been hit, and with additional heavy rains expected, landslide risk warnings have been issued in many areas.
On the 9th (local time), according to AP, AFP, Vietnam News Agency (VNA), and local media VN Express, Nguyen Hoang Hiep, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, announced that since Yagi made landfall in northern Vietnam on the 7th, 59 people have been confirmed dead or missing as of that day.
On the same day, in Phu Tho Province in the north, the Phong Chau railway bridge crossing the Red River, the largest river in northern Vietnam, collapsed, causing 10 vehicles including trucks and 2 motorcycles to fall into the river. Rescue authorities saved 3 people at the scene and transferred them to the hospital, but 13 others including passengers remain missing.
More than half of the 375-meter-long bridge collapsed, and some piers appear to have been washed away by the floodwaters. A dashcam video from a vehicle passing the site captured the moment the bridge collapsed, with a truck ahead falling into the river and a motorcycle behind narrowly avoiding the fall.
Citizen Pham Truong Sen, who was riding a motorcycle across the bridge, told VN Express that he heard a loud noise and fell into the river before he could assess the situation. Sen explained the situation, saying, "It felt like I was sinking to the riverbed," and that he barely swam to safety by clinging to a floating banana tree.
That morning, in Cao Bang Province in the north, a bus carrying 20 passengers was swept away by a rapid current caused by a landslide. Authorities dispatched rescue teams, but access to the accident site has been delayed due to the landslide.
The previous day, a landslide occurred in Sapa, a famous tourist destination in Lao Cai Province in the north, killing 6 people, and in the mountainous area of Hoa Binh Province, a landslide buried a house, killing a family of four. Additionally, 5 people in Quang Ninh Province and 4 in Hanoi City died after being crushed by fallen trees due to landslides or strong winds. At least 299 others were injured.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, nearly 121,700 trees have been uprooted so far, including 24,807 in the capital Hanoi, over 40,000 in Hai Duong Province, and 31,860 in Bac Ninh Province.
The industrial sector has also suffered significant damage. In Hai Phong, the second-largest city in northern Vietnam and the largest export port, dozens of businesses have not resumed operations due to typhoon damage, according to the state-run daily Lao Dong. In particular, some parts of the LG Electronics factory were destroyed by strong winds, with roofs blown off several factories and factory equipment and finished products damaged by water.
In Hai Phong and neighboring Quang Ninh Province, utility poles were toppled by strong winds, causing power supply disruptions and difficulties in resuming operations. Local authorities are estimating the scale of industrial damage caused by the typhoon in the region, with initial assessments indicating that nearly 100 companies have been affected. The day before, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh visited Hai Phong and approved a city recovery support budget of $4.62 million (approximately 6.2 billion KRW).
Residents are suffering from power outages. According to the state-run Vietnam Electricity Corporation (EVN), about 5.7 million customers, including households, experienced power outages on the 7th and 8th, and about 1.5 million residents in northern Vietnam are still facing difficulties using electricity. A total of 9,851 houses were damaged or flooded due to landslides or strong winds, and 25 fishing boats sank in Quang Ninh Province. Additionally, internet and mobile communications were cut off in many areas including Hai Phong, Quang Ninh, Hanoi, Thai Binh Province, and Hai Duong Province, causing widespread damage.
Deputy Minister Hiep said, "The situation is very serious," and urged, "Local authorities must actively act to support and ensure the safety of residents and their property."
The human toll increased as Yagi brought strong winds of up to 166 km/h and over 300 mm of heavy rain to major areas in northern Vietnam. Especially in Hoa Binh and Son La provinces in the north, rainfall reached an astonishing 430 to 440 mm. A representative from the Vietnam Meteorological Agency stated, "Yagi is the strongest typhoon to have made landfall in Vietnam in the past 30 years."
Additional heavy rain is forecast. Vietnamese meteorological authorities predict that over the next 24 hours, 208 to 433 mm of rain will fall in northern provinces including Lang Son, Cao Bang, Yen Bai, and Thai Nguyen, posing a high risk of flooding. In particular, among the 25 northern provinces, 130 areas in 17 provinces including Quang Ninh are at high risk of landslides due to saturated soil from heavy rain.
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