The central area of ​​Thái Nguyên Province is deeply submerged in floodwater. — VNA/VNS Photo Tuấn Anh

HÀ NỘI — Flooding triggered by torrential rains following Storm Matmo has caused extensive damage across northern localities, leaving 18 people dead or missing, hundreds of thousands of homes inundated, and infrastructure severely damaged.

As of 5.30pm on Friday, preliminary reports from the affected localities estimated total losses at more than VND5.45 trillion (about US$207 million). Thái Nguyên Province suffered the heaviest damage at around VND2.4 trillion, followed by Cao Bằng with VND2 trillion and Lạng Sơn with VND1.05 trillion, according to the Disaster and Dyke Management Authority under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.

Downpour submerged over 230,000 houses, with Thái Nguyên accounting for the majority, 200,000. Other severely affected areas include Bắc Ninh (11,061 houses), Cao Bằng (7,500), Hà Nội (8,186), and Lạng Sơn (3,000). By Friday afternoon, nearly 66,650 houses remained under water, including over 54,000 in Thái Nguyên.

In the agricultural sector, approximately 25,261 hectares of rice and other crops were inundated or destroyed. Floods also killed or swept away more than 13,000 livestock and over 690,000 poultry, seriously affecting the livelihoods of local residents.

In Lạng Sơn Province, the Bắc Khê 1 hydropower dam in Tân Tiến Commune, storing about 4 million cubic metres of water and having an output of 2MW, broke as the water level surged. Thanks to timely warnings and prompt response, authorities safely evacuated 803 households before the incident, preventing loss of life.

Dyke systems were also hit hard, with 49 incidents recorded across Thái Nguyên, Bắc Ninh, and Hà Nội, six more than the previous day. Bắc Ninh alone reported 40 incidents.

Transport infrastructure suffered widespread disruption, with 20 points along national highways eroded or submerged, causing traffic blockages. Thái Nguyên reported eight such sites, while Hà Nội and Bắc Ninh each had four. The Hà Nội–Đồng Đăng railway was temporarily suspended. Numerous rural roads were also cut off, hampering rescue operations and the delivery of essential supplies.

In the power and telecommunications sectors, nearly 550,000 customers in Thái Nguyên, Bắc Ninh, Cao Bằng, and Lạng Sơn experienced outages. Power has been restored for about 421,000 customers while around 128,600 remain without electricity, nearly 58,000 of them in Thái Nguyên. Some data and public telecommunications networks were also disrupted, with 125 base transceiver stations (BTS) down in Thái Nguyên, though services at 13 BTS in Hà Nội have been restored.

Local authorities continue to assess damage and mobilise resources to support affected communities in recovery and reconstruction efforts, said the authority. — VNA/VNS