Typhoon Yagi, Asia’s most powerful storm of the year, has been downgraded to a tropical depression after causing widespread destruction in northern Vietnam, China’s Hainan Island, and the Philippines. Preliminary reports indicate that the storm has claimed dozens of lives across the region, with significant damage to infrastructure and homes.
Vietnam’s meteorological agency issued the downgrade on Sunday but warned of continued risks, including flooding and landslides, as the weakened storm moves westward. Yagi, the strongest storm to hit Vietnam in decades, has left a trail of devastation, particularly in the capital, Hanoi, where power supplies and telecommunications were severely disrupted. Thousands of trees were felled, homes were damaged, and widespread flooding affected large parts of the city.
The Vietnamese government reported at least three deaths in Hanoi, part of a wider death toll of 14 across the country. One of the most tragic incidents occurred in Hoa Binh province, where four people died in a landslide, roughly 100 kilometers (62 miles) south of Hanoi. In Hai Duong province, a 53-year-old motorcyclist was killed after a tree fell on him. Meanwhile, rescue teams are searching for around a dozen people reported missing at sea near the coastal city of Halong, where at least one body has been recovered.
In China’s Hainan Island, local authorities reported four deaths, with extensive power outages and economic losses being assessed. The Philippines, the first country hit by Typhoon Yagi after it formed last week, raised its death toll to 20, with 22 people still missing, according to the country’s civil defense office.
Yagi triggered waves as high as four meters (13 feet) when it made landfall in Vietnam on Saturday afternoon, causing extended power outages that hindered the early assessment of damages. Authorities in Hanoi, a city of 8.5 million, were quick to mobilize cleanup efforts on Sunday morning, removing debris and fallen trees from the streets.
Despite the storm’s weakening, Vietnam’s meteorological agency has warned of ongoing risks, particularly flash floods in small rivers and streams, as well as landslides in mountainous regions and the coastal province of Thanh Hoa.