HANOI, Vietnam —
The death toll from a typhoon in Vietnam rose to 233 on Friday after rescuers recovered more bodies from areas hit by landslides and flash floods, state media reported.
Emergency crews have already pulled out 48 bodies from the area of Lang Nu, a small town in northern Lao Cai province that was devastated on Tuesday by a torrent of water, mud and debris from the mountains, state broadcaster VTV said. Another 39 people remain unaccounted for.
Across the country, 103 people are still missing and more than 800 injured.
Yagi was the strongest typhoon to hit the Southeast Asian nation in decades. It made landfall on Saturday with winds of up to 149 kilometers per hour (92 mph) and despite weakening on Sunday, torrential rains continued and river levels remained dangerously high.
Roads leading to Lang Nu have been badly damaged, making it impossible to bring in heavy rescue equipment. Around 500 people are taking part in the operation, as well as sniffer dogs, and during a visit to the site on Thursday, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh promised that the search for the missing would not be stopped.
“Their families are dying,” Chinh said.
In a hopeful sign, eight people living in two houses in Lang Nu were found alive on Friday morning, according to state-run newspaper VNExpress. They were not in the area when the flash flood hit.
