Super Typhoon Yagi’s Devastation Includes at Least 30 Deaths in China, Vietnam

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(Bloomberg) — Super Typhoon Yagi’s trail of devastation across southern China and northern Vietnam included at least 30 deaths, a major impact on agriculture and fishing, as well as some damage to energy infrastructure.

Yagi was the strongest autumn typhoon to strike China since 1949, according to a Xinhua News Agency report that cited the China Meteorological Administration. It’s the 11th of the season so far.

As many as 24 lives were lost in northern Vietnam after the typhoon caused flooding and landslides, local media reported. As of Sunday, 13 people were still missing, according to a statement on the government’s website. At least four people died in China’s southern province of Hainan, CCTV reported. Nearly a million residents had been evacuated on the island and the nearby province of Guangdong.

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Yagi made landfall in China twice on Friday, first hitting Hainan and then Guangdong. The system was equivalent to a Category 4 hurricane when it struck Hainan, which is considered a major storm capable of inflicting catastrophic damage. Yagi was downgraded on Sunday to a tropical depression, but the National Meteorological Center said heavy rains still threaten parts of Guangxi and Yunnan, Xinhua reported.

The typhoon has caused 11.9 billion yuan ($1.67 billion) of damage to Hainan’s agriculture, with more than half of that in the fishing sector, the province’s government said at a briefing on Sunday, the People’s Daily reported.

Flood Damage

In northern Vietnam, flooding destroyed over 120,000 hectares of rice and other crops, the VnExpress news website reported, and heavy rains remain a risk. Some 5,000 fruit trees in the provinces of Thai Binh, Hung Yen and the port city of Haiphong were destroyed, it said. About 17,000 trees in Hanoi alone were uprooted or damaged.

A number of boats sank in the provinces of Quang Ninh, Thai Binh and Hai Duong, as well as the coastal port city of Haiphong, according to a government statement. Some provinces and cities experienced power losses and widespread communication outages.

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China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. said on Wechat that its refineries in Hainan had been damaged by the typhoon, although it didn’t mention any impact on production.

Yagi also broke a handful of wind turbines on the island near Wenchang, according to local news outlet Yicai. The equipment was supplied by Windey Energy Technology Group Co. as part of a project being developed by Huaneng Power International Inc., Jiemian reported. 

The project is still under construction and didn’t affect local power supplies. Daiwa Capital Markets put the damage at less than 100 million yuan, according to a note from the brokerage.

Hainan’s vacation hot spot of Sanya has reopened its tourist venues, Xinhua said, citing local authorities.

—With assistance from Ben Sharples and Sarah Chen.

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