Vietnam: Typhoon Bualoi Leaves 34 Dead, US$332 Million In Losses

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 2 (Bernama) -- At least 34 people were killed and 140 others injured in the wake of Typhoon Bualoi in Vietnam, leaving a trail of destruction and causing an estimated economic loss of about 8.78 trillion dong (US$332.51 million). 

According to Vietnam News Agency (VNA), the typhoon, which made landfall on Monday, brought heavy rain, floods, landslides and strong winds. As of 6 pm on Wednesday, 20 people were still reported missing.

The Vietnam Disaster and Dyke Management Authority under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment reported that the typhoon also caused 153 houses to collapse and damaged or unroofed 154,565 others.

In the agricultural sector, 48,714 hectares of rice and other crops were inundated or destroyed, 13,334 hectares of aquaculture damaged, and 383,091 head of livestock and poultry killed or swept away.

In the central provinces of Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh and Quang Tri, nearly 2.7 million customers experienced blackouts.

Power supply has since been restored to more than 1.93 million customers, while over 774,000 others remain without electricity. Telecommunications services were also disrupted in several localities.

Preliminary economic losses were estimated at 75 billion Vietnamese dong in Lao Cai, 528 billion in Son La, 1.627 trillion in Nghe An, 6 trillion in Ha Tinh, and 550 billion in Quang Tri.

-- BERNAMA