Vietnam typhoon death toll nears 200 with 125 still missing in flash floods and landslides

Nearly 200 people have died and more than 100 are missing in Vietnam amid flash floods and landslides in the aftermath of Typhoon Yagi, state media reported on Thursday.

Vietnam's VNExpress newspaper reported that 197 people have died and 128 are still missing, while more than 800 have been injured.

In the capital Hanoi , flood waters from the Red River had receded slightly on Thursday but many areas were still submerged.

In the city’s Tay Ho district, people were on Thursday pictured wading through muddy brown water above their knees to make their way along streets, some still wearing helmets after abandoning bikes and motorcycles along the way.

Others paddled along roads in small boats as litter and other flotsam floated by.

Residents were pictured trying to sluice deep, murky floodwater out of their homes, and cleaning belongings that had been left covered in mud.

Yagi was the strongest typhoon to hit the Southeast Asian country in decades.

It made landfall Saturday with winds of up to 149 kph (92 mph). Despite weakening on Sunday, downpours continued and rivers remain dangerously high.

The flooding in Hanoi has reportedly been the worst in two decades, and has led to widespread evacuations.

The death toll spiked earlier in the week as a flash flood swept away the entire hamlet of Lang Nu in northern Vietnam's Lao Cai province Tuesday.

Hundreds of rescue personnel worked tirelessly Wednesday to search for survivors, but as of Thursday morning 53 villagers remained missing, VNExpress reported, while seven more bodies were found, bringing the death toll there to 42.

Photos showed rescuers picking their way through muddy debris at the site of the mountainous village, with the aid of dogs.

Floods and landslides have caused most of the deaths, many of which have come in the northwestern Lao Cai province, bordering China, where Lang Nu is located. Lao Cai province is also home to the popular trekking destination of Sapa.

On Monday, a bridge collapsed and a bus was swept away by flooding , killing dozens of people.

The steel bridge in Phu Tho province over the engorged Red River collapsed, sending 10 cars and trucks along with two motorbikes into the river. The bus carrying 20 people was swept into a flooded stream by a landslide in mountainous Cao Bang province.

Experts say storms like Typhoon Yagi are getting stronger due to climate change, as warmer ocean waters provide more energy to fuel them, leading to higher winds and heavier rainfall.

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