The death toll from Typhoon Bualoi in Vietnam rose to 51, officials said on Friday, with more than a dozen people still missing days after the storm triggered massive flooding in several parts of the country.
Heavy rain from the storm inundated the capital, Hanoi, this week, and floods and landslides damaged homes, public health and farmland across the country.
The typhoon hit central Vietnam late Sunday with winds of 130 kilometres (80 miles) per hour and lingered over the land for almost 12 hours before weakening.
Heavy rain from the storm affected the capital, Hanoi, this week, and floods and landslides damaged more than 200,000 houses, public infrastructure and farmland across the country.
Its environment ministry estimated damage from Bualoi may cost up to $600 million.
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The storm and destruction have killed at least 51 people, while 14 others are also reported missing, said the ministry as it updated the death toll on Friday morning.
Landslides triggered by the storm killed scores in the country’s northern mountainous provinces and disrupted access to tourist destinations like Sapa and Mu Cang Chai.
Weather forecasters said floodwaters had begun receding, though they warned typhoon Matmo, now approaching the northern Philippines, may impact the north of Vietnam early next week.
Matmo would be the 11th typhoon this year to hit Vietnam, a country that usually reports up to 10 per year.
Bualoi killed 37 people and forced 400,000 to flee their homes in the Philippines last week.
Between January and August, storms caused Vietnam $371 million in damage, triple the amount over the same period last year, the General Statistics Office said.
Typhoon Yagi killed hundreds of people in Vietnam last September and caused economic losses worth $3.3 billion.
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