Thundershower with fierce winds uproots 500 trees, kills 2 in Hanoi

A still image shows a truck being knocked over during the thundershower which battered several areas in Hanoi on June 13, 2015. The downpour struck several areas in the capital around 5:00 pm, when traffic on the street was quite heavy.

The two dead victims are Dao Thi Oanh, 21, and Duong Quang Tho, 61, who were killed by fallen boughs while driving their motorbikes on Minh Khai Street and the Quang Trung-Nguyen Du intersection in Hai Ba Trung District respectively.

Many of the fallen trees and boughs crumpled onto – and caused serious damage to – some hundred cars and bikes.

The catastrophe, which lasted a mere 30 minutes, sent many riders leaving their bikes on the street to seek shelter from the menacing gusts.

A truck was knocked over by the unforgiving whirlwind while traveling on Vinh Tuy Bridge and only escaped falling into the river beneath with its driver slamming into the bridge corridor for a halt.

A crane was also hit hard by the squall, which left the towering machine dangling in mid air.

Debris was flung straight at several riders, knocking them off their bikes.

A local tries to free a car trapped admist the fallen boughs near Pham Ngoc Thach Street in Hanoi. Photo: Tuoi Tre

The trail of destruction left behind by the merciless thunderstorm is seen on Dang Van Ngu Street. Photo: Tuoi Tre

By 10:30 pm the same day, groups sent by relevant agencies were still striving to free bikes and cars trapped beneath fallen trees and clear the trail of destruction.

Several streets in inner city areas including Nguyen Thai Hoc, Nguyen Du, Quang Trung, and Pho Hue were barricaded for the uprooted trees and debris to be removed.

Competent agencies said they received distress messages from victims and bystanders.

According to the Hanoi branch of state-owned utility group Vietnam Electricity, power was cut on an extensive scale in such districts as Hoan Kiem, Dong Da, Thanh Xuan, Ba Dinh, and Tay Ho to ensure safety for residents.

A large uprooteed tree on Pham Ngoc Thach Street. Photo: Tuoi Tre

A utility pole gave way during the ferocious thunderstorm. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Colonel Dao Vinh Thang, head of the Road-Railway Traffic Police Office of the Hanoi police department, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that by 8:00 pm last night, over 30 traffic spots across the city remained blocked due to the collapse of trees and utility poles.

The National Center for Hydro- Meteorological Forecasting reported that the thundershower was accompanied by gusts which attained level 9, or a velocity of 21 meters per second, in Ha Dong District, and level 8, or 20 meters per second, on Lang Street in Dong Da District.

The center released a warning on its website at 4:15 pm yesterday before the thundershower struck.

The thundershower took a heavy toll, but the rainfall was not substantial, according to the Hanoi Sewage and Drainage Co.

Another large tree fell victim to the relentless thunderstorm. Photo:Tuoi Tre

Several bikes lie forlorn on the sidewalk after their owners fled for their own lives. Photo: Nguyen Dinh Quan's Facebook

Other still images that speak volumes about the thunderstorm's devastation power: