Bridge collapses in Vietnam, death toll from storm Yagi rises to 59

Hanoi, September 9 (dpa/GNA) – At least three trucks, two cars and numerous motorcycles have plunged into the Red River in northern Vietnam as a result of Typhoon Yagi, authorities said on Monday. The death toll from the storm rose to 59.

More than 3,000 houses were damaged, 120,000 hectares of rice fields were flooded and more than 1,000 fishing grounds were destroyed.

The Phong Chau Bridge in Phu Tho province, nearly an hour northwest of Hanoi, collapsed at around 10am (03:00 GMT) on Monday morning, the Phu Tho provincial transport ministry said. Half of the bridge collapsed and vehicles were swept away by torrents below.

Deputy Prime Minister Ho Duc Phoc said authorities had initially determined that about 10 vehicles, including cars and trucks, as well as two motorcycles and 13 people were missing in the bridge collapse. However, the total number of dead and missing is currently unknown as video footage does not show how many people were in each vehicle.

The bridge collapsed after Typhoon Yagi struck the region, bringing winds of over 100 kilometers per hour and more than 17 centimeters of rain over the weekend – the heaviest rainfall to hit northern Vietnam in about 30 years.

Rising floodwaters and raging currents were identified as the main cause of the bridge collapse.

Vietnam's rescue workers are conducting an urgent search and rescue mission, said Lt. Gen. Pham Duc Duyen, the military region's political commissar in charge of the search and rescue on the ground. Four people have been rescued so far.

Landslides have occurred in the mountainous northern provinces and power outages are still occurring across the country. Typhoon Yagi ravaged Vietnam on Saturday before being downgraded to a tropical depression.

GNA