‘Out of a Horror Movie:’ Typhoon Yagi Makes Landfall in Vietnam

Asia Pacific|‘Out of a Horror Movie:’ Typhoon Yagi Makes Landfall in Vietnam

Typhoon Yagi made landfall in Vietnam on Saturday, packing powerful winds and torrential rain that killed at least four people and injured more than 70 people, according to state-run media, and forced tens of thousands to evacuate. Earlier, the storm smashed into southern China, where at least three people died.

The typhoon, one of the most powerful to strike northern Vietnam, made landfall at 1:30 p.m. in the coastal province of Quang Ninh near the city of Haiphong, according to the state-run media.

By landfall, Yagi was equivalent to a Category 3 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 127 miles per hour, the U.S. Navy’s Joint Typhoon Center said. The storm had rapidly intensified to a Category 4 storm earlier on Saturday before it began weakening over Vietnam.

The coastal areas of Quang Ninh and Hai Phong, a base for sea trade and manufacturing hubs, were among the hardest hit.

The storm’s gales sank boats, broke utility poles and uprooted trees in coastal towns near Halong Bay, where fishing communities live on hundreds of small islands that are vulnerable to violent waves, local news media reported. More than eight million people in the northern provinces were experiencing power failures, according to state-run media.

Vessels in the Quang Ninh were swept away, some with crew members onboard, according to news accounts. One sailor was killed and more than a dozen others were missing.