A bridge in northern Vietnam collapsed on Monday after being struck by Super Typhoon Yagi, which has killed at least 64 people since making landfall on Saturday. A dashcam caught the moment of the collapse of the Phong Chau bridge over the engorged Red River in Phu Tho province.


According to the Associated Press (AP), reports 10 cars, trucks and two motorbikes fell into the river. Some people were pulled out of the river and taken to hospital, a few are said to be missing.


Typhoon Yagi, Vietnam's most powerful storm in 30 years, has devastated the northern region, leaving 1.5 million people without power. The water levels of several rivers in northern Vietnam were reported to be dangerously high. BBC reported on Tuesday that although the typhoon "has now weakened into a tropical depression, authorities have warned Yagi will create more disruption as it moves westwards".


According to the BBC report, as the bridge collapsed, a truck plummeted into the river before the driver had time to escape. At least three people have been rescued from the river so far.


One of them, Nguyen Minh Hai, said he was riding across the bridge on his motorcycle when it collapsed. “I was so scared when I fell down. I felt like I’ve just escaped death. I can’t swim and I thought I would die,” he said, according to AP. 


Pham Truong Son, 50, said he was driving on the bridge on his motorcycle when he heard a loud noise. Before he realised what had happened, he was already plummeting into the river. “I felt like I was drowning at the bottom of the river,” Son added, saying he managed to swim and hold on to a drifting banana tree to stay afloat before he was rescued, according to AP. 


A portion of the 1,230-ft structure is still standing, and the military has been directed to construct a pontoon bridge to cover the gap as quickly as possible, BBC reported.


Loss Of Lives


Around 44 of those who died in Vietnam were killed in landslides and flash floods, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, BBC reported. Among them were a 68-year-old woman, a one-year-old boy, and a newborn baby.


On Monday, a bus carrying 20 people was swept into a flooded stream by a landslide in the mountainous Cao Bang province. Four bodies were recovered while one person was rescued, the rest remain missing. In the Yen Bai province, flood waters reached a metre high, with 2,400 families evacuated to higher ground as levels rose, AFP reported. Nearly 50,000 people have been evacuated from coastal towns in Vietnam, and authorities have warned people to remain indoors..


Schools were temporarily closed in 12 northern provinces, including the capital Hanoi.


Damage To Businesses 


According to AP, dozens of businesses in Haiphong province remain unable to resume production due to the extensive damage to their factories. The roofs of several factories were blown off, allowing water to seep in and damage equipment and finished products. Some businesses have reported ongoing power outages as of Monday, estimating that it could take at least a month to begin production. 


Parts of Haiphong and Quang Ninh provinces were still without power on Monday. The two provinces are industrial hubs, housing many factories that export goods, including EV maker VinFast and Apple suppliers Pegatrong and USI. While the authorities are still working out the damages to the factories, initial estimates showed that nearly 100 enterprises were damaged, resulting in millions of dollars in losses, as per AP. 


Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh visited Haiphong on Sunday and approved a $4.62 million package to help the port city recover.