Landslide kills family as typhoon Yagi rips through Vietnam

Four members of the same family have died in a landslide triggered by super typhoon Yagi after the powerful storm ripped through Vietnam.

State media said the tragedy struck in the mountainous Hoa Binh province of northern Vietnam at around midnight local time (Saturday 18:00 BST).

A 51-year-old man was able to escape but his wife, daughter and two grandchildren were buried when the hillside collapsed onto their house. Their bodies were recovered later, AFP news agency reported.

Yagi, Asia’s most powerful typhoon this year, has killed at least 14 and injured 176 others, according to Vietnamese state media. It has now been downgraded to a tropical depression.

But authorities are warning about the continued risk of flooding and landslides as the storm moves westwards.

After it made landfall in northern Vietnam on Saturday, the storm hit Hai Phong and Quang Ninh provinces with winds of up to 203 km/h (126 mph), the Indo-Pacific Tropical Cyclone Warning Center said.

It lifted roofs from buildings and uprooted trees, leading to power outages in the capital, Hanoi.

State media said three people died in the northern Quang Ninh province on Saturday, with another killed in Hai Duong, near Hanoi. Fishermen are missing at sea.

In the port city of Hai Phong, several areas were under half a metre (1.6 feet) of flood waters on Sunday, with power lines and electric poles damaged, according to AFP.

Metal roof sheets and commercial sign boards were seen flying across the city of two million, which has faced the brunt of the storm.

Power outages hit parts of Hai Phong – home to multinational factories – on Saturday, while four of north Vietnam’s airports have suspended operations for much of the day.

At the Hai Au boat lock on Tuan Chau island, north of Hai Phong, at least 23 boats were seriously damaged or sunk, according to local residents.

51-year-old sailor Pham Van Thanh, told AFP he had never experienced such a strong and violent typhoon.

He said all the crew had remained on board his tourist boat since Friday to stop it from sinking.

“The wind was pushing from our back, with so much pressure that no boat could stand,” he told AFP.

“Then the first one sank. Then one after another.”

Nearly 50,000 people have been evacuated from coastal towns in Vietnam, with authorities issuing a warning to remain indoors.

Schools have been closed in 12 northern provinces, including Hanoi.

State media published images of motorcyclists in Hanoi sheltering under bridges to escape the heavy rain.

Duong The Hung, a restaurant owner in Ha Long Bay, a Unesco world Heritage site, said his business’s signs had all fallen off.

“The ceiling has collapsed. The metal roof needs repairs. The damage is severe.”

The storm is expected to move into northernmost Laos by Sunday evening.

Before hitting Vietnam on Saturday, the typhoon brought devastation to the Chinese island of Hainan – a popular tourist destination dubbed China’s Hawaii – and to the Philippines, killing at least 24 people and injuring dozens of others, AFP reported.

On Friday, China evacuated some 400,000 people in Hainan island. Trains, boats and flights were suspended, while schools were shut.

Local media there reported widespread power outages, with about 830,000 households affected. Valuable crops have also been wiped out.

A super typhoon is equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane.

Scientists say typhoons and hurricanes are becoming stronger, more frequent and staying over land for longer due to climate change. Warmer ocean waters mean storms pick up more energy, which leads to higher wind speeds.

A warmer atmosphere also holds more moisture, which can lead to more intense rainfall.

Additional reporting by Aleks Phillips and Lipika Pelham