Hanoi (VNA) – Flooding triggered by torrential rains following Storm Matmo has caused extensive damage across northern localities, leaving 18 people dead or missing, hundreds of thousands of homes inundated, and infrastructure severely damaged.
As of 5:30 pm on October 10, preliminary reports from the affected localities estimated total losses at more than 5.45 trillion VND (about 207 million USD). Thai Nguyen province suffered the heaviest damage at around 2.4 trillion VND, followed by Cao Bang with 2 trillion VND and Lang Son with 1.05 trillion VND, according to the Disaster and Dyke Management Authority under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.
Downpour submerged over 230,000 houses, with Thai Nguyen accounting for the majority, 200,000. Other severely affected areas include Bac Ninh (11,061 houses), Cao Bang (7,500), Hanoi (8,186), and Lang Son (3,000). By the afternoon of October 10, nearly 66,650 houses remained under water, including over 54,000 in Thai Nguyen.
In the agricultural sector, approximately 25,261 hectares of rice and other crops were inundated or destroyed. Floods also killed or swept away more than 13,000 livestock and over 690,000 poultry, seriously affecting the livelihoods of local residents.
In Lang Son province, the Bac Khe 1 hydropower dam in Tan Tien commune, storing about 4 million cubic metres of water and having an output of 2MW, broke as the water level surged. Thanks to timely warnings and prompt response, authorities safely evacuated 803 households before the incident, preventing loss of life.
Dyke systems were also hit hard, with 49 incidents recorded across Thai Nguyen, Bac Ninh, and Hanoi, six more than the previous day. Bac Ninh alone reported 40 incidents. Emergency anti-flooding measures were deployed along major dykes, including Cha, Ha Chau, Thai Nguyen, and along the left and right banks of the Cau, Thuong – Duong Duc, and Ca Lo rivers, spanning nearly 20 kilometres.
Transport infrastructure suffered widespread disruption, with 20 points along national highways eroded or submerged, causing traffic blockages. Thai Nguyen reported eight such sites, while Hanoi and Bac Ninh each had four. The Hanoi – Dong Dang railway was temporarily suspended. Numerous rural roads were also cut off, hampering rescue operations and the delivery of essential supplies.
In the power and telecommunications sectors, nearly 550,000 customers in Thai Nguyen, Bac Ninh, Cao Bang, and Lang Son experienced outages. Power has been restored for about 421,000 customers while around 128,600 remain without electricity, nearly 58,000 of them in Thai Nguyen. Some data and public telecommunications networks were also disrupted, with 125 BTS stations down in Thai Nguyen, though services at 13 BTS stations in Hanoi have been restored.
Local authorities continue to assess damage and mobilise resources to support affected communities in recovery and reconstruction efforts, said the authority./.
