Deadly Landslides Hit Vietnam

Typhoon Molave has caused landslides and widespread flooding in Vietnam, uprooting the lives of millions. (Creative Commons)

Another series of deadly landslides hit central Vietnam as a result of Typhoon Molave on the afternoon of October 28. Twenty-five people have been killed, and dozens more are feared dead or missing. The region is still facing torrential rains and flooding, which are predicted to continue until October 31. Currently, the government has deployed heavy machinery and the armed forces to search for survivors of the landslides.  

Typhoon Molave is one of the strongest storms Vietnam has seen in the past two decades. It has left millions without electricity, and it has damaged 89,000 houses. This is the country’s fourth storm this month, and more than 100 people have died as a result of these natural disasters. The International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) had already designated at least 1 million people as being “in severe danger and in need of relief” before Typhoon Molave, and this number has undoubtedly increased from the exacerbation of dire conditions in already vulnerable areas.

Although the government was able to evacuate 375,000 people before the typhoon hit on Wednesday, numerous others were afflicted by the devastating storms. According to state media, rescuers have found 19 bodies in the mud in the Quang Nam province, but reports suggest that the death toll may be higher. In Quang Ngai, workers were trapped at a dam construction site overnight where the water level kept rising; they were later rescued. The Vietnamese navy has also been deployed to search for missing fishermen who were offshore when the typhoon hit.  

However, the efforts of rescue teams already stretched to their limits have been hampered by inclement weather. Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung said, “The road is covered under deep mud and heavy rains are still lashing the area, but rescue work has to be carried out quickly.” To help the affected population, the IFRC has appealed for $4.2 million to go toward food aid, since the floods destroyed thousands of hectares of crops and more than 2 million livestock.

Before affecting Vietnam, Typhoon Molave caused widespread devastation and killed 16 people in the Philippines. Although it had reverted to a tropical depression after making landfall in Vietnam, Molave also hit southern Laos and Cambodia hard on October 29.

Scientists believe that the climate crisis has generated these larger and more catastrophic storms across the globe, whether hurricanes in the United States or typhoons in Southeast Asia. Particularly in Vietnam, many worry that deforestation and rapid development have amplified the destruction resulting from the “normal” monsoon season. Even now, the region is bracing for another tropical storm that is expected to make landfall in the Philippines next weekend.