Death toll from storms in Vietnam rises to 233

The death toll from the devastating typhoon in Vietnam has risen to 233, as rescue teams continue to find bodies in areas ravaged by landslides and flash floods, state media reported on Friday, according to the Associated Press.

State-run broadcaster VTV confirmed that emergency crews have recovered 48 bodies in Lang Nu, a small village in northern Lao Cai province that was engulfed by water, mud, and debris after a massive downpour from the mountains on Tuesday. The search for the 39 people still missing in the area continues.

Across Vietnam, 103 people remain unaccounted for, with over 800 injured in the wake of Typhoon Yagi. The typhoon, the strongest to hit the Southeast Asian country in decades, made landfall on Saturday, bringing wind speeds of up to 149 kph (92 mph). While it weakened by Sunday, heavy rains persisted, leaving rivers dangerously swollen.

Access to Lang Nu remains severely hampered by damaged roads, preventing heavy machinery from reaching the disaster zone to assist in recovery operations. Despite these challenges, around 500 personnel, including sniffer dogs, are working tirelessly on the ground.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh visited the affected area on Thursday, vowing that search efforts would continue until all missing persons are accounted for. “Their families are in agony,” he said.

In a rare moment of hope, eight individuals from two households in Lang Nu were found safe early Friday morning, according to the state-run VNExpress newspaper. They had been away from the village when the flash flood struck, sparing them from the disaster.