Typhoon Bualoi death toll rises to 36 in Vietnam

The death toll in Vietnam from Typhoon Bualoi and the floods it triggered has risen to 36, according to a Thursday (2 October) report from the government's disaster management agency.

Bualoi made landfall on Monday in northern central Vietnam, bringing huge sea swells, strong winds and heavy rain that also left 21 people missing and injured 147 others, according to the report.

The agency also raised its estimate of property damage caused by the typhoon and its flooding to 11.5 trillion dong ($435.80 million), up from $303 million in a previous report released on Wednesday.

The assessement also found nearly 170,000 houses were damaged or inundated by flooding.

The typhoon severely damaged roads, schools and offices, and caused power grid failures that left tens of thousands of families without electricity, the report said.

More than 210,000 houses were damaged or inundated, and more than 51,000 hectares of rice and other crops were destroyed, it said.

Vietnam is a regional manufacturing hub, and large factories in or near the typhoon's path included some owned by Foxconn, Formosa Plastics, Luxshare and Vinfast.

The typhoon triggered floods across Vietnam's north, and disrupted flights and train services with the capital, Hanoi, where schools were closed and many homes inundated.

With a long coastline facing the South China Sea, Vietnam is prone to typhoons that are often deadly. Last year, Typhoon Yagi killed around 300 people and caused damages estimated at $3.3 billion across northern Vietnam.

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