Typhoon Yagi collapses busy bridge in Vietnam

BBC:

A busy bridge in northern Vietnam has collapsed in the wake of super typhoon Yagi, plunging 10 cars and two scooters into the Red River, Deputy Prime Minister Ho Duc Phoc said on Monday.

It is unclear if there were casualties resulting from the collapse of the Phong Chau bridge in Phu Tho province. At least three people have been rescued and 13 are missing, Mr Ho said.

Part of the 375-metre (1230 feet) bridge is still standing, and Mr Ho said he had instructed the military to build a pontoon bridge as soon as possible.

Yagi, Asia’s most powerful storm this year, has killed at least 59 people since it made landfall in Vietnam on Saturday, bringing strong winds of up to 203 km/h (126 mph).

In the days since, the storm has wreaked havoc in northern Vietnam.

At least 44 victims were killed by landslides and flash floods, the country’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said on Monday – a 68-year-old woman, a one-year-old boy and a newborn baby among them.

More than 240 people have been injured, while some 1.5 million are still without power.

The typhoon also tore roofs from buildings and uprooted trees.