Typhoon Bualoi death toll rises to 26 in Vietnam, with many missing

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HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — The search continued on Tuesday for 22 people still missing people following Typhoon Bualoi that caused flooding and landslides in Vietnam and has killed at least 26.

Eight fishermen are among those unaccounted for, as well as four members of the same family — a father, a mother and two children — in Tuyen Quang province who were buried when a landslide struck their house, state media said.

Rainfall topped 30 centimeters (nearly a foot) in parts of Vietnam, including the capital, Hanoi, over the past 24 hours, the national weather agency said Tuesday. It warned that heavy downpours would continue.

The prolonged rain triggered flash floods and landslides that cut off roads and isolated communities from the northern mountains of Son La and Lao Cai provinces to central Nghe An province.

Rivers swollen by downpours and dam discharges have also caused widespread flooding and landslides in the north. The Thao River in Yen Bai rose well above emergency levels overnight, sending water up to a meter deep (3 feet) into homes and forcing evacuations.

The near-continuous downpours throughout Tuesday meant that most streets in Hanoi were flooded and authorities warned that people close to the Red River, which passes through the city, should take precautions.

Flights at Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport were diverted or delayed because of heavy rain. Many schools were forced to close by mid-day and about 2.3 million Hanoi students will stay home on Oct 1.

Because of the same storm system, authorities have also evacuated nearby vulnerable areas and shut down roads where landslides have blocked travel.

Bualoi has already caused at least 20 deaths in the Philippines since Friday.

It made landfall in Vietnam early Monday then lingered, which increased the danger.

Global warming is making storms like these stronger and wetter, according to experts, since warmer oceans provide tropical storms with more fuel, driving more intense winds, heavier rainfall and shifting precipitation patterns across East Asia.

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