Floods inundate north Vietnam as Typhoon Yagi death toll climbs

Flood waters have already inundated villages on the outskirts of Hanoi, above, state broadcaster VTV reported. (AFP)
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Updated 10 September 2024
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Floods inundate north Vietnam as Typhoon Yagi death toll climbs

  • Landslides and floods triggered by the typhoon have killed at least 65 people and 39 others are missing in the north
  • Several rivers in northern Vietnam have risen to alarming levels, leaving villages and residential areas inundated

HANOI: Severe floods are expected to inundate parts of Vietnam’s north, including the capital Hanoi, government officials said, as the aftermath of typhoon Yagi, the most powerful storm to hit Asia so far this year, continues to extract a deadly toll.
Landslides and floods triggered by the typhoon have killed at least 65 people and 39 others are missing in the north, the disaster management agency said on Tuesday in its latest update on the situation.
Most of the victims were killed in landslides and flash floods, the agency said in a report, adding that 752 people have been injured.
Other northern areas, including the industrial hubs of Bac Giang and Thai Nguyen which host factories of several export-oriented multinationals including Samsung Electronics and Apple supplier Foxconn are also facing severe flooding, state media reported. It was not immediately clear if the companies were affected.
The typhoon made landfall on Saturday on Vietnam’s northeastern coast, devastating a large swath of industrial and residential areas and bringing heavy rains that caused floods and landslides. It had previously hit the Philippines and the southern Chinese island of Hainan.
Several rivers in northern Vietnam have risen to alarming levels, leaving villages and residential areas inundated, according to the disaster agency and state media.
A 30-year-old bridge over the Red River in the northern province of Phu Tho collapsed on Monday, leaving eight missing, according to a statement from the provincial People’s Committee.
Authorities have subsequently banned or limited traffic on other bridges across the river, including Chuong Duong Bridge, one of the largest in Hanoi, according to state media reports.
“Water levels on the Red River are rising rapidly,” the government said on Tuesday in a post on its Facebook account.
Using public loudspeakers commonly used to broadcast Communist propaganda in the past, officials warned residents of the capital’s riverside Long Bien district to be on alert for possible flooding, and to be ready to evacuate the area.
Flood waters have already inundated villages on the outskirts of Hanoi, state broadcaster VTV reported, and authorities were already evacuating residents from there.
Evacuations were also taking place from flood-prone areas in Bac Giang province, the government said, where the typhoon and floods have caused damage estimated for now to be worth 300 billion dong ($12.1 million).
More than 4,600 soldiers have been deployed in the province to support the evacuation and support flood victims.
Lao Cai province has reported the highest casualties with 19 people killed and 11 missing, mostly in landslides, according to the disaster management agency.
Floods have also inundated 148,600 hectares or almost 7 percent of rice fields in northern Vietnam and 26,100 hectares of cash crops and damaged nearly 50,000 houses in northern Vietnam, according to the agency.


Texas governor declares Muslim civil rights group a terrorist organization

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Texas governor declares Muslim civil rights group a terrorist organization

Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday declared one of the largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy groups in the US a “foreign terrorist organization” under a proclamation that he said allows the state to try shutting them down.
He also designated the Council on American-Islamic Relations “a transnational criminal organization” and said it would not be allowed to buy land in the state. The proclamation also included the Muslim Brotherhood.
Neither the CAIR nor the Muslim Brotherhood are designated as foreign terrorist organizations by the US government.
CAIR told Abbott in a letter that his announcement had no basis “in law or fact.” The group accused his office of stoking “anti-Muslim hysteria.”
“You do not have the authority to unilaterally declare any Americans or American institutions terrorist groups, nor is there any basis to level this smear against our organization,” wrote Robert S. McCaw, CAIR’s government affairs director.
Months ago, Texas Republicans moved aggressively to try to stop a Muslim-centered planned community around one of the state’s largest mosques near Dallas. Abbott and other GOP state officials launched investigations into the development tied to the East Plano Islamic Center, saying the group is trying to create a Muslim-exclusive community that would impose Islamic law.
EPIC City representatives called the attacks about Islamic law and other assertions misleading, dangerous and without merit. Earlier this year, the Justice Department closed a federal civil rights investigation into the planned community without filing any charges or lawsuits.
In his proclamation, Abbott cited a law he signed this year that he said prohibits “foreign adversaries” from purchasing or acquiring land. The Republican author of that bill praised the governor’s declaration.
“Today proves exactly why that law was needed,” Republican state Rep. Cole Hefner posted on X.
The Muslim Brotherhood was established in Egypt nearly a century ago and has branches across the world. Its leaders say it renounced violence decades ago and seeks to set up Islamic rule through elections and other peaceful means. Critics, including autocratic governments across the Mideast region, view it as a threat.