The location and direction of the tropical depression. Photo courtesy of The National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.

HÀ NỘI — Typhoon Koto, the fifteenth storm entering the East Sea, has left one person dead and three missing, the Việt Nam Disaster and Dyke Management Authority (VDDMA) under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has reported.

Accordingly, large waves sank a basket boat in Lâm Đồng province, resulting in one fatality; 17 fish cages and 26 aquaculture pens were damaged, and about 200 metres of seawall in Hàm Tiến 1 street eroded.

Meanwhile, a tornado and high waves at sea, caused by the impact of Typhoon Koto, sank the vessel NT-90329-TS about 300 metres off Bình Thiên beach in Khánh Hòa, leaving three people missing. Provincial authorities were coordinating with the local Border Guard Station in search and rescue efforts, the authority said.

The damage caused by the storm has been estimated at over VNĐ5.6 billion (US$212,402). Local authorities are continuing to review and assess the extent of the losses.

Typhoon Koto maintained its current intensity and trajectory, moving slowly with a gradual weakening trend, the authority said.

According to preliminary statistics from the VDDMA, as of 8.30am on November 29, floods had caused 963 houses to collapse, and damaged 3,390 others. Floods also killed or swept away 944,975 livestock and poultry, with Đắk Lắk suffering the heaviest loss with 663,500 animals.

On November 29, the PM made a field trip to Đắk Lắk to inspect flood recovery efforts and held both in-person and online meetings with representatives of the provinces of Gia Lai, Đắk Lắk, Khánh Hòa and Lâm Đồng, to coordinate flood aftermath responses.

The provinces and cities of Quảng Trị, Đà Nẵng and Quảng Ngãi have largely completed their flood recovery.

Meanwhile, Gia Lai Province has finished repairing houses lightly damaged by the thirteenth storm named Kalmaegi, and the floods from November 16–22, the locality is now focusing on restoring 845 severely damaged or collapsed homes and providing financial support for houses that were destroyed or swept away.

Khánh Hòa Province needs to rebuild 115 collapsed or washed-away houses and repair 922 homes that were severely damaged.

Currently, 39 schools in Khánh Hòa remain closed, while students in Gia Lai, Đắk Lắk, Lâm Đồng and Quảng Ngãi have resumed classes.

Hospitals and commune-level health stations have resumed medical services, with disinfection and sanitation efforts continuing in residential areas. The Ministry of Health, along with the health departments of Quảng Ninh, Hải Phòng, and Hồ Chí Minh City, have deployed medical support teams to assist affected provinces.

Public telecommunications networks in the flood-affected provinces have been repaired by telecom companies, and communication services have largely normalised. — VNS