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| Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính chairs the conference. — VNA/VNS Photo Dương Giang |
HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính on Sunday chaired a hybrid conference, urging swift and concerted action to overcome the aftermath of typhoon Yagi, which has devastated northern localities of Việt Nam.
The conference, which connected 26 northern provinces and centrally-run cities, aimed to evaluate the direction of response to the typhoon and damage, and deploy measures to overcome its consequences.
According to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Yagi is the strongest typhoon to hit the East Sea in the past three decades. On Saturday afternoon, the typhoon made landfall in Quảng Ninh Province and Hải Phòng City. Despite weakening into a tropical depression on the following day, it continued to wreak havoc, with heavy rains and winds lashing the northern region.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development confirmed five fatalities in Quảng Ninh, Hải Phòng, and Hải Dương, and injured 186 people in Quảng Ninh, Hải Phòng, Hải Dương and Hà Nội by 7am on Sunday. Especially, a landslide in Hòa Bình Province claimed four lives and injured another in a family. Power outages and communication disruptions have left many areas isolated.
The typhoon, the third to hit the country this year, left huge damage in terms of infrastructure, with thousands of 3,279 houses damaged, 401 power utility poles pulled down, and numerous shops, offices, and schools suffering roof damage. Thousands of trees were uprooted while many billboards were broken, creating hazardous conditions on the streets.
The agricultural sector has also borne the brunt of the typhoon, with over 121,500 ha of crops inundated and more than 1,000 aquaculture cages and rafts destroyed or swept away, mostly in Quảng Ninh.
The National Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting has issued a warning of continued heavy rain in the northern region on Sunday and Monday. With 24-hour rainfall potentially exceeding 200mm in some areas, the risk of flash floods and landslides remains high. — VNS
