HANOI/BANGKOK (Reuters) -Typhoon Kajiki and the flooding it triggered has killed eight people, including one in Thailand and seven in Vietnam, authorities said on Wednesday, with the Vietnamese government warning of more flash floods and mudslides to come.
The storm, which made landfall in Vietnam on Monday afternoon before weakening into a depression, has since caused widespread flooding and landslides in both Vietnam and Thailand.
Heavy rains have caused floods and landslides in eight provinces in Thailand, affecting more than 180 households, Thailand’s Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation said on Wednesday.
In Vietnam, Kajiki and its associated flooding have damaged and inundated more than 10,000 homes and offices as well as more than 86 hectares of rice and cash crops, the Vietnamese government said in a statement on Wednesday.
It has also knocked down electricity poles, resulting in blackouts that directly affect 1.6 million people, mostly in Ha Tinh and Nghe An provinces, the statement added.
Streets in Hanoi have also been severely flooded, as heavy rain continued in the capital city, which is preparing to host the country’s largest National Day parade in decades next week as it celebrates the 80th anniversary of its declaration of independence.
The national weather forecast agency said heavy rain will continue to hit northern provinces on Wednesday, with some areas likely to get up to 70 millimetres in three to six hours.
“Flash floods and landslides can happen, negatively impacting the environment, threatening people’s lives … and causing damages to production and socio-economic activities,” the agency said.
Before making landfall in Vietnam, Kajiki skirted the southern coast of China’s Hainan on Sunday, forcing the resort city of Sanya on the island province to close businesses and public transport.
(Reporting by Khanh Vu in Hanoi and Panarat Thepgumpanat in Bangkok; Editing by David Stanway)
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