A busy bridge collapsed due to Super Typhoon Yagi, resulting in over 60 fatalities since it made landfall in Vietnam on Saturday.
Dashcam footage captured the moment the Phong Chau bridge in Phu Tho province collapsed on Monday. The collapse sent multiple vehicles tumbling into the water below. Search efforts are currently underway for 13 individuals.
Shocking moment busy bridge COLLAPSES in northern Vietnam pic.twitter.com/goQpyhRnnj
— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) September 9, 2024
Vietnam’s most devastating storm in three decades has caused significant destruction across the northern region. It’s left 1.5 million people without electricity. While the storm has now weakened into a tropical depression, authorities caution that Yagi may still cause further disruption as it heads westward.
Over 240 individuals have been injured by the typhoon. The storm unleashed winds reaching up to 126 mph, making it the most powerful storm in Asia this year.
An Eyewitness Recalls the Harrowing Moment a Typhoon Damaged Bridge Collapsed
Deputy Prime Minister Ho Duc Phoc reported that ten cars and two scooters plunged into the Red River after the Phong Chau bridge collapsed.
The dramatic moment was captured on camera when a truck fell into the water, occurring just as the bridge decking ahead collapsed, leaving the driver no time to react.
So far, at least three individuals have been successfully rescued from the river.
Nguyen Minh Hai reported that he was crossing the bridge on his motorcycle when it suddenly collapsed.
“I was so scared when I fell down,” he recalled from the hospital, per the BBC.
The man was clearly rattled by the harrowing moment.
“I feel like I’ve just escaped death. I can’t swim and I thought I would have died,” he added.
A section of the 1,230-foot structure remains intact. However, the military has been ordered to construct a pontoon bridge across the gap at the earliest opportunity.
Climate Disaster
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A heavily traveled bridge in Vietnam has collapsed, sending cars plunging into a river, after being hit by Super Typhoon Yagi. The bridge collapse left more than 60 people dead. -BBC pic.twitter.com/MSIqMIpath
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, at least 44 individuals who lost their lives in Vietnam succumbed to landslides and flash floods.
Among the victims were a 68-year-old woman, a one-year-old boy, and a newborn baby.