The moment of disaster was starkly witnessed when a lorry, unable to stop in time, plunged into the raging waters as the bridge decking gave way.
Deputy Prime Minister Ho Duc Phoc confirmed that ten cars and two scooters had fallen into the river.
Nguyen Minh Hai, who was riding his motorcycle across the bridge when it collapsed, described his terrifying experience: “I was so scared when I fell down. I felt like I’d just escaped death. I can’t swim and I thought I would have died,” he said from his hospital bed, as reported by BBC.
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The collapse occurred on Monday, following the typhoon’s landfall on Saturday. More than 60 lives have been lost since Yagi struck, making it one of the deadliest storms to hit Vietnam in three decades. As rescue operations continued, authorities reported that 13 people were still missing, and searches were underway to locate them.
Military mobilised for emergency response
In response to the disaster, the military has been mobilized to construct a temporary pontoon bridge to span the gap left by the collapse. Meanwhile, efforts to rescue survivors from the river have so far saved at least three people.
The ongoing damage assessment revealed that part of the 375-meter (1,230-foot) bridge remains intact, though it is unclear when full repairs will be completed.
Yagi’s devastation: A national crisis
Typhoon Yagi, which brought winds of up to 203 km/h (126 mph), has wreaked widespread havoc across northern Vietnam. The storm left 1.5 million people without power and caused severe infrastructural damage.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development reported that landslides and flash floods, triggered by the typhoon, resulted in at least 44 deaths, including a 68-year-old woman, a one-year-old boy, and a newborn baby.
The storm’s wrath extended beyond human casualties; it tore roofs from buildings, uprooted trees, and inflicted extensive damage on factories. Notably, images from Reuters depict the collapsed walls of an LG Electronics factory in Hai Phong city, illustrating the typhoon’s destructive force.
Storm continues to threaten
Though Yagi has weakened into a tropical depression, authorities have warned that it will continue to cause disruptions as it moves westward. With more than 240 people injured, and the damage continuing to unfold, the full impact of Vietnam’s most powerful storm of the year is still being assessed.