Super Typhoon Yagi has wreaked havoc across Vietnam, ripping roofs off buildings, sinking boats, and triggering landslides, leaving nine people dead as of Sunday.
The storm had earlier caused devastation in southern China and the Philippines.
A family of four lost their lives in a landslide in the mountainous Hoa Binh province of northern Vietnam early Sunday morning, according to state media.
The landslide occurred around midnight after hours of heavy rainfall brought by Yagi when a hillside collapsed onto their home.
VNExpress reported that the 51-year-old homeowner managed to escape, but his wife, daughter, and two grandchildren were buried in the debris. Their bodies were recovered shortly after.
Yagi, which uprooted trees and destroyed infrastructure, made landfall in northern Vietnam on Saturday with winds exceeding 149 kilometers (92 miles) per hour.
Four people were killed on Saturday as flying debris caused by the strong winds struck them, according to disaster management authorities.
Another fatality occurred on Friday in Hai Duong province, where a man was killed after heavy winds brought down a tree.
In the port city of Hai Phong, parts of the area were submerged under half a meter (1.6 feet) of floodwater on Sunday. The storm also caused widespread power outages, with damaged power lines and poles, according to AFP reporters on the scene.
At Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage site located about 70 kilometers up the coast, fishermen were assessing the damage on Sunday morning.
Local residents reported that at least 23 boats were either severely damaged or sunk at the Hai Au boat lock on Tuan Chau island.
Pham Van Thanh, a 51-year-old crew member of a tourist boat, described the chaos as he and his crew stayed on board since Friday to prevent their vessel from sinking.
“The wind was pushing from our back with such force that no boat could withstand it,” he told AFP. “One boat sank, and then another, and another.”
“I’ve been a sailor for more than 20 years and have never experienced such a strong and violent typhoon,” Thanh added.
Before reaching Vietnam, Super Typhoon Yagi tore through southern China and the Philippines, killing at least 24 people and injuring dozens.
Studies have shown that due to climate change, typhoons in the region are forming closer to the coast, intensifying more rapidly, and lingering over land for longer.
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