Brian Jeffrey
The flood disaster toll has reached 233 fatalities, with 103 people still unaccounted for.
The northern mountainous area of Lào Cai has been severely impacted, suffering 98 casualties and 81 individuals missing.
A tragic event on September 10 in Làng Nủ hamlet, located in Phúc Khánh Commune, Bảo Yên District, accounted for 110 of those dead or missing.
Authorities have noted that more than 9,000 homes in the province have either been submerged, eroded, or completely washed away due to the floods. Many rural communities are cut off from accessibility, and the debris from landslides and rising waters is hindering travel. The total damage is projected to be in the trillions of đồng.
In response to the crisis, Lào Cai Province, alongside various agencies, is actively working to conduct search and rescue efforts and alleviate the disaster’s damage.
Currently, 650 people are engaged in search and rescue in Nủ Village, which includes 359 locals and 300 soldiers from Military Region 2.
A separate landslide incident in Nậm Tông Village, Nậm Lúc Commune, Bắc Hà District, buried eight homes, resulting in seven deaths and leaving 11 people missing.
Phú Thọ has reported one additional death from the flooding.
Cao Bằng has confirmed 52 victims (43 deceased and 9 missing), Yên Bái reports 48 casualties (42 dead and 2 missing), while Quảng Ninh has recorded 15 fatalities.
Rail Services Set to Resume as Floodwaters Recede
On Friday, Hà Nội City’s Command for Disaster Prevention and Search and Rescue downgraded the flood alert to level 2 on the Hồng (Red) and Đuống rivers, allowing for potential restoration of rail services across Long Biên and Đuống bridges.
After evaluating the water level of the Red River in Long Biên District at 1 am Friday, the Command lifted the level 2 alert for several districts including Bắc Từ Liêm, Tây Hồ, and others surrounding the river.
Similarly, alerts were reduced for areas along the Đuống River based on observations from the Thượng Cát Hydrological Station.
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| Riverside homes have returned to safety. |
Việt Nam Railways (VNR) announced that rail operations through Long Biên and Đuống bridges may resume today (September 13) as flood levels have diminished.
VNR has asked authorities for clearance to reopen traffic on Long Biên and Đuống bridges with the water levels now at safe thresholds.
The railway company is closely watching the situation and preparing to propose a relaunch of rail routes, ensuring thorough safety inspections of all bridges before service begins.
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| Some riverside neighborhoods are no longer affected by floods. |
Previously, on September 10 at 3 pm, the Department of Transportation had prohibited movement on Long Biên Bridge due to rising flood risks.
At 10 pm that same day, all traffic was also banned on Đuống Bridge.
Water Levels Gradually Decreasing
The National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting reported that by 8 pm Thursday, flood levels on the Cầu River in Bắc Ninh Province peaked at 7.79 meters, significantly above warning levels, approaching historical flood marks from 1971.
Floodwaters are receding slowly throughout the region.
Similar trends are observed along the Thái Bình River in Hải Dương City, where water levels are gradually decreasing, as well as on the Hoàng Long River in Ninh Bình Province.
In Bắc Giang Province, levels on the Thương and Lục Nam Rivers are also subsiding while the Red River in Hà Nội is showing a downward trend.
The forecasting center anticipates continued decreases in flood levels along the Cầu, Thương, and Hoàng Long Rivers over the next 12 to 24 hours, though they will remain above warning thresholds.
Meanwhile, flood levels on the Lục Nam and Thái Bình rivers are expected to drop below the second alert level, with the Red River in Hà Nội anticipated to dip below the first alert level.
However, the center warns that, due to slow drainage in the downstream Red River-Thái Bình system, flooding may linger in various areas, particularly in low-lying and flood-prone regions.
Persistent high floodwaters could threaten riverbanks, lead to erosion, and pose significant hazards for at-risk locations along the rivers in targeted provinces.
The flood risk warning has been raised to level 3. — VNS
