HANOI: Typhoon Bualoi and ensuing floods and landslides have killed 51 people, left 14 others missing and injured 164 across northern and central Vietnam, with preliminary economic losses estimated at nearly 15.9 trillion Vietnamese dong (about $608 million), the Vietnam Disaster and Dyke Management Authority said in a report on Friday.
The typhoon damaged or submerged more than 238, 000 houses, inundated nearly 89, 000 hectares of rice and other crops, and caused losses to over 17, 000 hectares of aquaculture and nearly 50, 300 hectares of forests.
The typhoon also severely damaged infrastructure, with over 8, 800 electricity poles downed and nearly 468, 500 households still without power, while nearly 1, 500 schools were damaged, according to the report.
Local authorities are continuing recovery efforts, mobilising equipment to clear blocked roads, restore essential services and support affected communities, the report added.
Meanwhile, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh approved a support package worth 2.524 trillion Vietnamese dong (about $96.5 million) from the central budget reserve to 15 affected localities for emergency relief, Xinhua news agency reported quoting the Vietnam News Agency on Friday.
Earlier, on September 30, Pham Minh Chinh had instructed local authorities and sectors to take urgent measures to support affected residents and mitigate the aftermath of the typhoon.