San Francisco Frontiers - Typhoon Bualoi death toll in Vietnam tops 50

Bualoi slammed into central Vietnam late Sunday with winds of 130 kilometres (80 miles) per hour, and lingered over land for almost 12 hours.

Heavy rain from the storm inundated the capital Hanoi this week, and floods and landslides damaged more than 200,000 homes, public infrastructure and farmland across the country.

The environment ministry estimated damage from Bualoi may cost up to $600 million.

The storm and its aftermath have killed at least 51 people, while 14 others are missing, the ministry said in its latest update on Friday.

Landslides killed several people in the country's northern mountainous areas, and disrupted access to tourist attractions like Sapa and Mu Cang Chai.

Images on state and social media showed roads completely destroyed and massive rocks and earth blocking mountain passes.

Weather forecasters said floodwaters had begun receding, but warned Typhoon Matmo -- now approaching the northern Philippines -- may impact the north of Vietnam early next week.

Matmo would be the 11th storm this year to hit Vietnam, a country that typically records up to 10 annually.

Bualoi killed 37 people and forced 400,000 to flee their homes in the Philippines last week.

Human-driven climate change is turbocharging extreme weather events like typhoons, making them ever more deadly and destructive.

Between January and August, storms caused Vietnam $371 million in damage, triple the amount over the same period last year, the General Statistics Office said.

Typhoon Yagi killed hundreds of people in Vietnam last September and caused economic losses worth $3.3 billion.

E.Cruz--SFF