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Millions in South East Asia Battle Floods, Death Toll Surpasses 200

Rescue teams pulled victims from the mud on Thursday, carrying them on stretchers to makeshift shelters where neighbours and relatives carefully washed the bodies in readiness for burial.


This aerial view shows flooded farms and fields in Hanoi on September 12, 2024, as heavy rains in the aftermath of Typhoon Yagi brought flooding to northern Vietnam. (Photo by NHAC NGUYEN / AFP)

Millions of people across Southeast Asia struggled Thursday with flooded homes, power cuts and wrecked infrastructure after Typhoon Yagi swept through the region, as the death toll passed 200.

In worst-hit Vietnam, the fatalities rose to 197, with nine confirmed dead in northern Thailand — where one district is suffering its worst floods in 80 years.

This aerial view shows flooded farms and fields in Hanoi on September 12, 2024, as heavy rains in the aftermath of Typhoon Yagi brought flooding to northern Vietnam. (Photo by NHAC NGUYEN / AFP)

Myanmar’s national fire service confirmed the country’s first Yagi-related deaths after 17 bodies were recovered from flooded villages in the Mandalay region, while more than 50,000 people have been forced from their homes.

READ ALSO: [VIDEO] Maiduguri Flood: Many Still Trapped On Rooftops, Says NEMA

Yagi brought a colossal deluge of rain that has inundated a swathe of northern Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Myanmar, triggering deadly landslides and widespread river flooding.

Rescue officials steer a boat with residents affected by flooding in Taungoo in Myanmar’s Bago region on September 12, 2024, in the aftermath of Typhoon Yagi. (Photo by Sai Aung MAIN / AFP)

One farmer on the edge of Hanoi told AFP his entire 1,800 square metre peach blossom plantation was submerged, destroying all 400 of his trees.

“It will be so hard for me to recover from this loss — I think I will lose up to $40,000 this season,” said the farmer, who gave his name only as Tu.

“I really don’t know what to do now, I’m just waiting for the water to recede.”

This aerial view shows flooded farms and fields in Hanoi on September 12, 2024. (Photo by Nhac NGUYEN / AFP)

The United Nations children’s agency (UNICEF) said the typhoon had damaged more than 140,000 homes across 26 provinces in Vietnam.

Communications cut off

The high waters have devastated more than 250,000 hectares of crops and huge numbers of livestock, Vietnam’s agriculture ministry said, with farmland around Hanoi hit hard.

Commuters in parts of the Vietnamese capital trudged to work through shin-deep brown floodwaters, though officials said river levels in the city are slowly falling after hitting a 20-year high on Wednesday.

Thousands have been forced to evacuate their homes, while others are struggling with power cuts.

TOPSHOT – A resident reacts at the site of a landslide in the remote mountainous village of Lang Nu, in Lao Cai province on September 12, 2024, in the aftermath of Typhoon Yagi hitting northern Vietnam. (Photo by AFP)

In the deadliest single incident, a landslide in Lao Cai province annihilated an entire village of 37 houses, killing at least 42 people with 53 still unaccounted for.

A resident carries a muddy wedding photo as rescue workers (back R) search through debris of a landslide in the remote mountainous village of Lang Nu, in Lao Cai province on September 12, 2024, in the aftermath of Typhoon Yagi hitting northern Vietnam. (Photo by AFP)

Rescue teams pulled victims from the mud on Thursday, carrying them on stretchers to makeshift shelters where neighbours and relatives carefully washed the bodies in readiness for burial.

Survivors picked through the mud and wreckage to retrieve what family heirlooms and possessions they could find.

People wade through flood waters on a street in Hanoi on September 12, 2024, as heavy rains in the aftermath of Typhoon Yagi brought flooding to northern Vietnam. (Photo by NHAC NGUYEN / AFP)

Fifteen bodies have been recovered in Cao Bang province after a landslide on Monday pushed a bus, along with several cars and motorbikes, into a stream, state media said Thursday.

Myanmar camps

Myanmar’s junta government has set up around 50 camps to help people affected by the floods, Lay Shwe Zin Oo, director of the social welfare, relief and resettlement ministry told AFP.

The Global New Light of Myanmar, the state-run newspaper, said train services on the main line between Yangon and Mandalay were suspended because some sections were flooded.

The Mekong River Commission, the international body overseeing the crucial waterway, issued a flood warning on Thursday for the historic Laotian city of Luang Prabang.

The Mekong is expected to hit flood levels in the coming days in Luang Prabang, a UNESCO world heritage site, the commission said in a bulletin.

TOPSHOT – Rescue officials sift through debris at the site of a landslide in the remote mountainous village of Lang Nu, in Lao Cai province on September 12, 2024, in the aftermath of Typhoon Yagi hitting northern Vietnam. (Photo by AFP)

In Thailand the death toll has risen to nine, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation said, including six killed in landslides in Chiang Mai province.

All flights have been suspended to the airport in Chiang Rai, some 145 kilometres (90 miles) northeast of Chiang Mai, aviation authorities said.

TOPSHOT – Rescue officials help a resident affected by flooding in Taungoo in Myanmar’s Bago region on September 12, 2024, in the aftermath of Typhoon Yagi. (Photo by Sai Aung MAIN / AFP)

Further north, Mae Sai district on the border with Myanmar is suffering its worst floods in 80 years, Suttipong Juljarern, a senior interior ministry official said in a statement.

The Jet Ski Association of Thailand has sent 16 jet skis to help with relief efforts, Dechnarong Suticharnbancha, the body’s president told AFP.

A woman sweeps flood waters outside her home in Hanoi on September 12, 2024, as heavy rains in the aftermath of Typhoon Yagi brought flooding to northern Vietnam. (Photo by NHAC NGUYEN / AFP)

Some of the currents in the floodwaters are too strong for normal boats but jet skis are able to navigate them because of their powerful engines.

A video showing champion jet skier Kasidit Teeraprateep rescuing an old woman from a torrent of murky water circulated on Thai social media.

Heavy monsoon rains lash Southeast Asia every year, but human-made climate change is causing more intense weather patterns that can make destructive floods more likely.

A rescue official works with a dog as they sift through debris at the site of a landslide in the remote mountainous village of Lang Nu, in Lao Cai province on September 12, 2024, in the aftermath of Typhoon Yagi hitting northern Vietnam. (Photo by AFP)

Climate change is causing typhoons to form closer to the coast, intensify faster and stay longer over land, according to a study published in July.

AFP