A devastating typhoon has claimed numerous lives across Vietnam and the Philippines, officials confirmed on Monday. Meanwhile, the weakened storm Bualoi has moved into Laos.
Last week, the typhoon ravaged central Philippines islands, uprooting trees, toppling power lines, causing floods, and forcing the evacuation of 400,000 people.
Philippine coast guard rescuing residents from their flooded homes during Severe Tropical Storm Bualoi in Ormoc City, Leyte province. — AFP
A Philippine civil defence official reported the death toll more than doubled to 24, primarily from drowning or debris impact.
Experts warn that as global temperatures rise due to human-induced climate change, storms are becoming more intense.
Bualoi struck Vietnam late Sunday with winds reaching 130 km/h (80 mph).
Thousands of homes and businesses were wrecked in central and northern Vietnam, with at least 11 fatalities, Vietnamese authorities informed AFP on Monday.
AFP images depicted roofs torn off and debris scattered on waterlogged streets in Vietnam’s coastal Nghe An province.
“The wind blew my roof away, destroying everything. I rushed to my neighbor’s for safety,” said Trinh Thi Le, 71, from Quang Tri province, to state-run Tuoi Tre newspaper.
Destructive storms
A whirlwind linked to the typhoon killed at least nine people in northern Ninh Binh province early Monday, the local disaster agency said.
One fatality each occurred in Hue and Thanh Hoa provinces, with around 20 people missing, according to disaster authorities.
Among the missing were nine whose fishing boats were lost at sea when strong winds broke their moorings, police reported.
Over 53,000 individuals were relocated to temporary shelters in schools and medical centers before Bualoi hit Vietnam, the environment ministry noted.
Four domestic airports and sections of the national highway were shut down on Monday. Over 180 flights were cancelled or delayed, airport officials stated.
Parts of Nghe An and central Ha Tinh province experienced power outages, and schools in affected areas were closed.
After hitting Vietnam, Bualoi weakened as it crossed into Laos.
This occurred shortly after Super Typhoon Ragasa, which claimed 14 lives in northern Philippines.
The Philippines typically experiences around 20 storms and typhoons annually, impacting disaster-prone regions where millions live in poverty.
In Vietnam, natural disasters caused 175 deaths or disappearances from January to August this year, according to the General Statistics Office (GSO).
Total damages reached about $371 million, nearly triple the same period in 2024, the GSO reported.
Last September, Typhoon Yagi killed hundreds in Vietnam, causing $3.3 billion in economic losses.
