Typhoon Kajiki Hits Vietnam, Leaving 3 Dead and Widespread Flooding
Typhoon Kajiki struck Vietnam on Monday, causing severe damage across several provinces. The storm killed three people and injured at least 13 others, toppling trees, flooding streets, and cutting electricity for over 1.6 million residents.
Among the victims were a 90-year-old man whose house collapsed in Nghe An province, a man electrocuted while securing his roof, and another casualty in Ha Tinh province. Kajiki made landfall with winds up to 130 km/h, damaging around 7,000 homes, uprooting 18,000 trees, and flooding thousands of hectares of rice fields just weeks before harvest. Over 300 electricity poles were downed, leaving towns and villages without power.
In Hanoi, heavy rainfall turned streets into rivers, submerging cars and forcing residents to wade through waist-deep water. Coastal provinces like Thanh Hoa experienced waves reaching three meters, causing severe flooding and damage to sea walls.
Authorities evacuated more than 44,000 people ahead of the storm and deployed 16,500 soldiers and over 100,000 paramilitary personnel to assist in rescue operations. Two regional airports and train services remained closed, and schools in affected areas were shut.
Kajiki weakened into a tropical depression as it moved into Laos, but northern Vietnam could still see up to 150mm of rain in six hours, raising the risk of flash floods and landslides.
Vietnam, with its long coastline, remains highly vulnerable to typhoons, which have been intensified by climate change, resulting in stronger and more unpredictable storms impacting both urban and rural communities.
