Mon Sep 09 14:01:36 UTC 2024: ## Phong Chau Bridge Collapse Leaves 13 Missing After Typhoon Yagi Hits Vietnam
**Phu Tho, Vietnam** – A busy bridge in Northern Vietnam collapsed on Monday, September 9, sending ten cars and two scooters into the Red River after being struck by the powerful Typhoon Yagi.
The Phong Chau Bridge, located approximately 80 kilometers from Hanoi, partially collapsed at 10 a.m. local time, with part of the 375-meter steel structure still standing. Rescue teams have been searching the river for survivors, with three people pulled from the water and taken to the hospital, but 13 remain missing.
Deputy Prime Minister Ho Duc Phoc confirmed the missing individuals and stated that the cause of the collapse was likely related to the intense winds and heavy rains associated with Typhoon Yagi, which hit Vietnam on Saturday, September 7.
Yagi, considered the strongest storm to hit Asia this year, has caused widespread devastation across Vietnam. The storm has been linked to at least 60 deaths, with 44 victims succumbing to landslides and flash floods. Among the fatalities were a one-year-old boy, a newborn baby, and a 68-year-old woman.
The typhoon has also injured 240 people, left approximately 1.5 million residents without power, and forced the evacuation of nearly 50,000 people from coastal towns. Hanoi’s Noi Ba Airport, the country’s largest airport, was forced to suspend operations due to the typhoon’s effects, but has since resumed normal activity.
Authorities have warned of further flooding and landslides as the storm moves westward.
Climate change is thought to be a contributing factor to the increased intensity and frequency of typhoons in the region, with storms now forming closer to the coast, intensifying more quickly, and staying over land longer.
The Vietnamese government has dispatched the military to build a pontoon bridge in place of the collapsed structure as quickly as possible. Rescue efforts are ongoing to locate the missing individuals.
First Piper 