Typhoon Bualoi Strikes: At Least 12 Dead, 17 Missing in Vietnam

On September 29 (local time), Typhoon Bualoi struck central and northern Vietnam, leaving at least 12 people dead and 17 missing.

According to Vietnamese authorities and state-run media outlet VNExpress, Bualoi made landfall in the early morning, bringing maximum wind speeds of up to 133 kilometers per hour and heavy rain to the central provinces of Ha Tinh and Nghe An.

On the 29th (local time), in Thanh Hoa Province, central Vietnam, struck by Typhoon Bualoi, buildings and cars were damaged by strong winds.

In Ninh Binh Province in the north, nine people were killed, including four who died when their houses collapsed due to strong winds. In Thanh Hoa Province in the central region, a government official returning home after overnight typhoon preparedness activities was killed when a fallen tree pinned him down.

In addition, one resident died after being swept away by floodwaters in Hue City in the central region, and another person died in Da Nang City, also in central Vietnam.

Three fishing boats were swept away by waves as high as eight meters, leaving nine fishermen missing in Quang Tri Province and eight fishermen missing in Gia Lai Province, both in the central region.

Over a 24-hour period, Nghe An Province recorded 398 millimeters of torrential rain, while Ha Tinh Province received 348 millimeters. As a result, residential areas and roads in Hanoi and various parts of the north and central regions were flooded.

In Ha Tinh and Nghe An provinces, power outages affected more than 347,000 households.

Airport authorities reported that four airports in the central region-Da Nang Airport, Hue Airport, Dong Hoi Airport in Quang Tri Province, and Tho Xuan Airport in Thanh Hoa Province-suspended operations starting the previous day, resulting in the cancellation or delay of more than 180 flights.

In Ha Tinh Province, the roof of a coal storage facility at a large thermal power plant that began operations on September 18 collapsed.

Local authorities made every effort to minimize damage by evacuating more than 58,000 residents to temporary shelters set up in schools and medical facilities and suspending fishing operations.

According to the Vietnamese Meteorological Agency, as of 10 a.m. on the same day, Bualoi had weakened to a wind speed of 74 kilometers per hour, and by around 1 p.m. it had further weakened into a tropical depression and moved into neighboring Laos.

Meanwhile, in the Philippines, the civil defense authorities told AFP that at least 24 people were killed in the central region on September 26 due to strong winds and flooding brought by Bualoi.

The majority of these victims died after being swept away by floodwaters or being pinned under trees felled by strong winds.