Typhoon Bualoi leaves 34 dead, 20 missing in Vietnam

Hanoi, Oct 2 (IANS) Typhoon Bualoi and subsequent floods and landslides have left 34 people dead, 20 missing and 140 others injured, with estimated economic losses of 8.78 trillion Vietnamese dong (about $356 million).

The typhoon caused severe damage to infrastructure, downing more than 8,200 electricity poles and leaving nearly 2.7 million households without power, while over 3,000 roads were blocked by flooding and landslides, reports Xinhua, quoting Vietnam News Agency.

Local authorities are reviewing and compiling damage reports while carrying out efforts to restore power and telecommunications and support affected residents, according to the report.

Earlier, on September 30, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh had instructed local authorities and sectors to take urgent measures to support affected residents and mitigate the aftermath of the typhoon.

PM Chinh had also extended his deepest condolences and sympathy to the bereaved families and the Party organisations, administrations, and residents enduring the losses and difficulties caused by the disasters.

He had ordered the chairpersons of the People's Committees of Quang Ninh, Hai Phong, Hung Yen, Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Tri, Hue, Phu Tho, Son La, Lao Cai, Da Nang, Lang Son, Cao Bang, and Thai Nguyen to mobilise forces and vehicles to access isolated areas as soon as possible, repair damaged houses, arrange shelters for affected residents, and provide them with essential supplies.

He had ordered the repair of damaged educational and medical facilities before October 5.

Rainfall in several parts of Vietnam had exceeded 300 millimetres, the national weather agency said. Heavy rains would continue, including in the capital Hanoi, and strong winds and lightning were also possible, it said.

Several villages in northern central Vietnam had remained flooded with no traffic or power.

Bualoi was the second major storm to threaten Asia in a week. Typhoon Ragasa, one of the strongest to hit in years, left at least 28 deaths in the northern Philippines and Taiwan before making landfall in China and dissipating over Vietnam.

--IANS

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