Hanoi [Vietnam], August 26 (ANI): At least three people have died and 13 others have been injured after Typhoon Kajiki struck northern and central Vietnam on Monday, bringing devastating winds and torrential rains, Al Jazeera reported, citing Vietnamese authorities on Tuesday.
According to Al Jazeera, citing the Vietnamese government, the typhoon made landfall with wind speeds reaching 130 km/h, causing significant destruction. Nearly 7,000 homes were damaged, more than 28,000 hectares of rice fields were submerged, and around 18,000 trees were uprooted. The storm also knocked down 331 power poles, leading to widespread blackouts in several provinces, including Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Thai Nguyen, and Phu Tho.
Local media described scenes of flooding in Hanoi as terrifying, with relentless rainfall submerging streets, stalling vehicles, and disrupting traffic. The storm has since moved westward into Laos, weakening into a tropical depression, but Vietnam’s national weather agency has warned of continued heavy rains. Forecasts indicate up to 150 mm of rain in six hours in some areas, with high risks of flash floods and landslides.
Ahead of the storm, authorities carried out large-scale evacuations, moving more than 44,000 people to safety across five provinces and recalling all fishing vessels to harbor. The military deployed over 346,000 personnel and more than 8,200 vehicles, including aircraft, to support relief efforts and respond to potential secondary disasters, Al Jazeera reported, citing Viet Nam News.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) raised concerns over the repeated impact of severe storms on children in the region. UNICEF Regional Director for East Asia and the Pacific, June Kunugi, noted that children are now facing climate hazards six times more frequently than previous generations.
“With disasters striking so often, children and families barely have time to recover before their homes, schools, and sense of safety are disrupted again. Each new storm compounds the damage of the last, leaving children increasingly vulnerable,” Kunugi said, as quoted by Al Jazeera.
According to Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, natural disasters have already claimed more than 100 lives or left people missing in the first seven months of 2025, with economic losses exceeding USD 21 million. Last year, Typhoon Yagi caused an estimated USD 3.3 billion in damages and impacted more than six million children, Al Jazeera reported.
UNICEF warned that Typhoon Kajiki adds to the compounding effects of repeated climate shocks, which increasingly put children’s health, education, and well-being at risk. (ANI)
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