Hanoi, Oct 3 (NationPress) Typhoon Bualoi, along with the resulting floods and landslides, has claimed the lives of 51 individuals, left 14 others missing, and injured 164 people across northern and central Vietnam. Preliminary economic damages have been assessed at nearly 15.9 trillion Vietnamese dong (approximately $608 million), according to a report from the Vietnam Disaster and Dyke Management Authority.

The typhoon caused significant destruction, impacting over 238,000 homes, flooding nearly 89,000 hectares of rice and other crops, and inflicting damage on more than 17,000 hectares of aquaculture as well as 50,300 hectares of forested areas.

Infrastructure was severely affected, with over 8,800 electricity poles468,500 households remaining without power. Almost 1,500 schools were reported damaged, as per the official report.

Local authorities are actively engaged in recovery operations, deploying equipment to clear blocked routes, restore essential services, and assist affected communities, the report stated.

In response, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has sanctioned a support package amounting to 2.524 trillion Vietnamese dong (around $96.5 million) from the central budget reserve for emergency relief to 15 localities affected by the disaster, as reported by Xinhua news agency citing the Vietnam News Agency.

Previously, on September 30, PM Chinh urged local authorities and departments to implement urgent measures to assist affected residents and alleviate the aftermath of the typhoon.

He expressed his heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased and the communities grappling with the challenges posed by these disasters.

PM Chinh has instructed chairpersons of various local People's Committees, including Quang Ninh, Hai Phong, Hung Yen, Ninh Binh, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Tri, Hue, Phu Tho, Son La, Lao Cai, Da Nang, Lang Son, Cao Bang, and Thai Nguyen, to mobilize resources and vehicles to reach isolated regions promptly, repair damaged homes, arrange shelters, and provide essential supplies.

He has also mandated the restoration of damaged educational and medical facilities before October 5.

Several villages in northern central Vietnam continue to face flooding, with no access to transport or electricity.

Bualoi was the second major storm to impact Asia within a week. Typhoon Ragasa, one of the strongest storms in years, resulted in at least 28 fatalities in the northern Philippines and Taiwan before making landfall in China and dissipating over Vietnam.