News

4 children dead, 2 missing, and estimated 1 million children affected by one of the worst storms to hit Viet Nam.

HA NOI, Viet Nam/HONG KONG, 7 November 2017 – Typhoon Damrey that has battered Viet Nam is likely to be one of the worst storms to strike the country’s central- southern coastal region in years. According to the latest report from Vietnamese authorities, at least 4 children died and 2 are still missing.

At least 4 million people have been affected by the storm and of that number it is estimated that at least one million children are affected and particularly vulnerable. The Typhoon has left a high number of deaths and missing people, seriously damaged infrastructures and houses, displaced over 30,000 people, including children, from their homes, and destroyed crops. The number of people affected and displaced is likely to increase as parts of the country are still flooded and more data is collected from the field.

Typhoon Damrey is exposing children to deadly water-borne diseases, increasing their risk of suffering from malnutrition, and disrupting their education.

Our thoughts are with the families of the victims. UNICEF is monitoring closely with the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control the impact on children and stands ready, with other UN agencies, to support the efforts from central and local authorities to provide emergency relief for the affected people in the country.