Landslide kills 16 in Vietnam, several missing: State media

Deadly landslide in Vietnam after Typhoon Yagi, leaving 16 dead, scores missing, and rescue efforts hampered by difficult conditions.

A landslide triggered by flash flooding in the wake of Typhoon Yagi killed at least 16 people in northern Vietnam and left scores missing, State media reported Wednesday (September 11, 2024).

A total of 128 people were buried in the disaster in the village of Nu, in Lao Cai province, on Tuesday (September 10), multiple reports said, with at least 30 rescued but many more still missing.

Yagi struck Vietnam at the weekend, bringing winds over 149 kilometres (92 miles) per hour and a deluge of rain that has caused flooding not seen in decades, according to locals.

The landslide took place in a remote mountainous area and rescue work is difficult, State-run Tuoi Tre newspaper said, adding there was no internet in the area and traffic was cut off.

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"Authorities are mobilising forces to approach the landslide area to continue the search for survivors," district party chief Hoang Quoc Bao said.

The landslide came as tens of thousands of people were forced to flee their homes on Tuesday, with many stranded on rooftops and posting desperate pleas for help on social media.