A village in Nghi Xuân Commune, Hà Tĩnh Province inundated and still isolated by floods. VNA/VNS Photos

HÀ NỘI — Typhoon Bualoi has left 49 people dead, 16 missing and 153 injured in Việt Nam as of 5pm on Thursday, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.

At least 200 houses were completely destroyed, while more than 169,000 were damaged or had their roofs blown off. Around 64,800 others were inundated, the ministry reported.

The initial economic loss is estimated at over VNĐ12.7 trillion (US$481.1 million), with central Hà Tĩnh Province suffering the heaviest damage at about VNĐ6 trillion.

Local authorities are still assessing the full scale of the destruction.

The same day, the Central Committee of the Vietnam Red Cross Society (VRCS) launched the second phase of emergency relief for residents in northern and central mountainous provinces severely affected by the typhoon and its aftermath.

A total of VNĐ3.42 billion ($129,565) in cash and goods, raised through a campaign jointly organised by the VRCS and the Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam (Vietcombank), will be distributed to people in the flood-hit provinces of Cao Bằng, Thái Nguyên, Phú Thọ, Tuyên Quang, Lào Cai and Quảng Trị.

Cash and aid packages will be handed directly to households most severely impacted by the storm.

National Assembly (NA) Chairman Trần Thanh Mẫn, together with officials of NA agencies attended a donation campaign on Thursday in support of people affected by Typhoon Bualoi.

As of Thursday afternoon, the total value of direct aid provided by the VRCS Central Committee to affected communities had exceeded VNĐ5.5 billion.

The VRCS said the fund-raising campaign will continue until October 30, calling on organisations, businesses and individuals nationwide to support disaster-stricken areas. — VNS