Tropical Storm Wipha Wreaks Havoc in Northern Vietnam

Violent storms have battered northern Vietnam, resulting in one fatality and leaving another individual unaccounted for, police reported on Wednesday, as Tropical Storm Wipha diminished into a depression.

A 59-year-old man tragically lost his life in Nghe An province when a tree toppled onto his home on Sunday, shortly before the storm reached land, authorities confirmed.

Nghe An, stretching from the coast to the rugged Laos border, bore the brunt of the severe rainfall and flooding.

A woman was also swept away by the floodwaters and is still missing. Four additional individuals sustained injuries.

Flooding inflicted significant damage, destroying hundreds of homes, ravaging crops, and severing access to isolated communities.

Authorities reported that nearly 400 families had to be evacuated from landslide-prone zones within the province. Several upland communities remain cut off, with no electricity or means of communication. Torrential rains provoked landslides, disrupting roads, causing part of a school building to collapse, and obliterating crops and forest areas.

The storm made landfall early on Tuesday morning, packing winds up to 102 kilometers per hour (63 mph) before diminishing in strength as it moved inland. This led to power outages, disruptions in agricultural operations, and forced temporary airport shutdowns across northern provinces.

In neighboring Thailand, heavy downpours from Tuesday night through Wednesday morning triggered flooding across several northern provinces, causing rivers to overflow and inundating residential areas.

Authorities communicated that more than 350 individuals were impacted, though fortunately, no casualties have been reported. They issued warnings about potential flash floods and landslides.

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