This year, the strongest typhoon in Asia, Typhoon “Mujigae”, after wreaking havoc in Hainan Island, China, and the Philippines, moved westward towards Vietnam. According to the Vietnamese Disaster Preparedness Department, as of Monday (September 9), Typhoon “Mujigae” has caused at least 35 deaths and 24 people missing.
Reported by “Vietnam Express” website, the death toll has risen to 59 people, with over 200 others injured.
Typhoon “Mujigae” (also known as Mujigae) made landfall on the northeastern coast of Vietnam on Saturday, causing severe destruction in this manufacturing hub area.
The typhoon cut off power supply for millions of households and businesses, submerged highways, disrupted telecommunication networks, destroyed a medium-sized bridge and thousands of trees, halting economic activities in many industrial centers.
On Monday, in the city of Haiphong with a population of 2 million, industrial park and factory managers and workers reported that electricity had not been restored. They are salvaging equipment from factories amidst torrential rain as the typhoon tore off metal roofs of the buildings.
The DEEP C Industrial Zone located in Haiphong city and Quang Ninh province, developed and operated by over 150 investors, had its manager Bruno Jaspaert stating, “Everyone is racing against time to ensure the safety of the factories and prevent inventory from flooding.”
A Reuters eyewitness reported that the typhoon caused the wall of South Korean electronics manufacturer LG Electronics to collapse.
LG Electronics confirmed that their production base was damaged by the typhoon, with a warehouse containing refrigerators and washing machines flooded, thankfully with no casualties.
When asked about the impact of the typhoon on South Korean factories in coastal areas, Hong Sun, Chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Vietnam (Kocham), said, “The losses are severe.”
A factory manager leasing a factory confirmed that roofs in northern provinces of Vietnam were extensively damaged, with prolonged power outages.
Vietnamese authorities confirmed the collapse of a crucial bridge in Phu Tho province on Monday. A senior official from the provincial transportation department stated, “It is a busy bridge for transportation.”
State-owned power supplier Vietnam Electricity (EVN) said that due to dozens of power lines being cut off by the typhoon, over 5.7 million users experienced power outages over the weekend, but by Monday, nearly 75% of affected users had their power restored.
Typhoon “Mujigae” also hit crucial farmlands in Vietnam, with nearly 116,192 hectares of fields damaged, majorly rice paddies.
The Vietnam Meteorological Department stated that Typhoon “Mujigae” is weakening and downgraded to a tropical depression on Sunday.
However, the meteorological department warned that due to rainfall reaching between 208mm to 433mm in some areas of northern Vietnam in the past 24 hours, these regions might experience more floods and landslides.
(This article referenced reports from Reuters and Associated Press)