Heavy rainfall and destructive winds from the remnants of Typhoon Bualoi tore through central Vietnam over the weekend, causing widespread damage, flooding, and at least 12 confirmed deaths before weakening and moving into Laos on Monday.
The storm’s impact was severe, with rescue teams now focused on a critical search for 17 missing fishermen and local authorities grappling with massive infrastructure damage, including power outages affecting over 347,000 households.
Death Toll and Infrastructure Damage
Bualoi made landfall just after midnight on Sunday in the northern coastal province of Ha Tinh, bringing winds up to 133 kph (83 mph) and storm surges exceeding a meter. The fatalities were spread across several provinces:
- Nine deaths were reported in the scenic province of Ninh Binh, primarily due to houses collapsing under strong winds.
- One local official in Thanh Hoa province, Nguyen Ngoc Hung, was killed when a tree fell on him while he was returning home after preparing for the storm.
- One person was swept away by floodwaters in Hue city, and another fatality was reported in Danang.
The storm’s powerful gusts ripped corrugated iron roofs off homes, toppled concrete pillars, damaged schools, swept away temporary bridges, and flooded major roads and low-water crossings. Flooding in cities submerged vehicles, and many highland communities were cut off.
Search for Missing Fishermen
Vietnamese authorities are currently searching for 17 missing fishermen across two incidents:
- In Quang Tri province, strong winds broke the ropes anchoring a fishing boat taking shelter, sending the vessel and nine crew members adrift. Four of the crew members managed to swim safely ashore.
- In Gia Lai province, eight families reported losing contact with their fishermen during a fishing trip.
In total, state media reported that more than 347,000 households lost power before the typhoon made landfall.
Storm Weakens Over Laos
As of Monday midmorning, the storm’s center was over land near the border of Nghe An province and Laos, with winds dropping to 74 kph (46 mph). By the afternoon, it had pushed deep into Laos and further weakened into a tropical depression, with winds of 39–61 kph (24–38 mph), according to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting.
Vietnamese authorities had earlier taken precautions by grounding fishing boats and suspending operations at four coastal airports. Residents, particularly in areas like Phong Nha, known for its large caves, described experiencing “terrible gusts” and pounding rain, with one resident telling state media, “No one dares to go out.”
Bualoi is the second major storm to affect Asia recently, following Typhoon Ragasa, which caused at least 28 deaths in the Philippines and Taiwan before dissipating over Vietnam last week.