First body found in northern Vietnam bridge collapse

The body of one of the eight missing victims in Phong Chau bridge collapse (link to clip) that occurred on September 9 in Phu Tho province, northern Vietnam was found on Saturday afternoon.

The body was discovered about 10 km downstream from the incident site and was identified as one of the eight missing victims, local authorities reported.

The death was identified as Nguyen Thi Huong, a 48-year-old resident of Thach Dong commune, Thanh Thuy district of the northern province.

Huong and her husband were riding on a motorbike when the tragic incident occurred. Huong's husband, 56, is still missing.

On the day the incident occurred, authorities reported that at least 10 vehicles and two motorbikes had plunged into the Red River when the bridge collapsed, amid serious downpours triggered by super typhoon Yagi.

But Phu Tho authorities' latest report says that there were 10 vehicles fell into the river, including six motorbikes and one electric bike. Three people were rescured, one death found, while seven others still missing.

The incident took place at about 10 a.m. September 9 as one pier and two spans of the bridge collapsed.

Phong Chau bridge, completed and put into use on July 28, 1995, is 375.36 meters long and located on National Highway 32C, connecting Viet Tri town and Lam Thao district with Tam Nong, Thanh Thuy, Thanh Son and Tan Son districts, as well as with the provinces of Hoa Binh and Son La.

As of Saturday, September 15, northern Vietnam recorded 353 people dead or missing due to super typhoon Yagi and following floods and landslides, according to data released at a government meeting with city and provincial authorities on Sunday morning.

Apart from casualties, the damage of assets that the typhoon has caused amounted to VND40,000 billion ($1.63 billion), initial estimates show.

According to Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung, Vietnam's GDP growth for the whole 2024 might drop by 0.15 percentage points compared to the pre-typhoon scenario of 6.8-7%.