Soldiers spent 2 weeks in the sun, rain, and mud searching for the bodies of the victims in Lang Nu.
TB (according to VTC)•September 24, 2024 13:48
Over the past 14 days, hundreds of police and military soldiers have been wading through mud, digging through tree roots and turning over rocks to search for missing victims of the flash flood in Lang Nu.
Two weeks after the devastating flash flood occurred in Lang Nu village (Phuc Khanh commune, Bao Yen district, Lao Cai province), nearly 300 soldiers of Regiment 98 and units of Division 316 of Military Region 2, in coordination with the mobile police, Lao Cai province border guards and 5 search dogs, are still trying to find the missing victims.
The death toll from the Lang Nu flash flood is 55, with 12 people still missing.
The search continues to be difficult because the subsidence is still very deep, there are areas that soldiers cannot reach and have to rely on motor vehicles for support.
In the early morning of September 10, rocks and soil suddenly followed the flood from Con Voi mountain to the residential area, flattening 37 houses in Lang Nu village with more than 100 people.
Immediately after the landslide, Regiment 98 of Division 316 of Military Region 2 mobilized more than 300 officers and soldiers to quickly perform rescue missions and search for victims.
Lieutenant General Pham Hong Chuong, Commander of Military Region 2 and Mr. Dang Xuan Phong, Secretary of Lao Cai Provincial Party Committee, directly directed the search for victims at the scene.
From a peaceful village, Lang Nu now no longer has the sound of cheerful laughter, the sound of children playing, but only the heart-rending cries of those who remain. Under the heat of 32-34 degrees Celsius, soldiers and militiamen spend all day with sticks and hoes wading through mud to search for victims' bodies.
After many days of heavy rain, a huge amount of water poured into the valley, carrying a lot of mud and debris. Soldiers had to soak themselves in water and mud, using toothpicks to probe the victim's location.
In the hot weather, soldiers had to turn over every rock and dig through every tree root to search for the missing person.
There were some messy sections where officers and soldiers had to dig through the mud with their bare hands, searching every corner, bush, and stream.
The mud not only made movement difficult, but also concealed potential dangers from the landslide. Soldiers had to navigate through the mud, avoiding countless sharp objects such as nails, corrugated iron roofs... and even everyday knives from houses that had been swept away.
In such dangerous terrain conditions, the soldiers wading through the mud searching for the missing man often encountered accidents. Private Thao Mi Linh (20 years old, soldier of Battalion 8, Regiment 98, Division 316) stepped on a large nail that penetrated deep into the sole of his foot.
To speed up the search, 5 search dogs were brought in to assist in difficult terrain. By the afternoon of September 13, the search area had been expanded to 10km downstream.
During the first days of searching, every now and then another body from Lang Nu was pulled out of the dirt and rocks.
Soldiers of Division 316 continuously carried the deceased up the slope halfway up the village (700m away) to do forensic work and hand over the body to the family for burial.
Mr. Hoang Van Diep, Head of Lang Nu village shared: "Immediately after the incident, the Party Committee, the government and especially the soldiers of Regiment 98, Division 316 helped people search for the victims, we were truly touched and grateful. The tasks were very dangerous and arduous, but the soldiers seemed to forget everything, truly being the "support" of Lang Nu villagers in these difficult and miserable times."
“Over the past few days, we have been deeply moved by the affection and responsibility of the officers and soldiers. They have not been afraid of hardships and dangers, day and night wading in floodwaters, working side by side with local authorities and Party committees to overcome the consequences of natural disasters. The people are very grateful to Uncle Ho's soldiers,” Ms. Hoang Thi Chiem (in Phuc Khanh commune) emotionally said.
After many hours of work, the soldiers took a lunch break in the areas around the Cultural House of Lang Nu village, eating boxed meals. In addition to the military standard meals, the meals also included supporting foods such as sticky rice, cakes, instant noodles, and fruits.
After lunch, some hung hammocks, some found shade, some pulled up sackcloth and put it under the stilt house to sleep to recover their health, and at 1:30 p.m. they continued searching. The landslide area was still unsafe, so in the evening, the soldiers moved to stay at a local house more than 5km away from the scene.
Currently, the Forward Command Center in Lang Nu continues to concentrate forces, survey, and identify additional locations where people may be buried; concentrate human resources, machinery, and vehicles to search for the 12 remaining missing victims.
Regarding the reconstruction of Lang Nu, on September 21, Lao Cai Provincial People's Committee organized the groundbreaking ceremony for a 10-hectare resettlement area, about 3km from the old location.
The resettlement area is located on the sim hill, including 40 two-story houses built in the traditional Tay style with kitchens and toilets, with a total area of 1,000 m2 per household.
The residential area is invested synchronously, from housing to cultural houses, schools, roads, electricity, water, ensuring a stable life for people.
Construction funding comes from socialized sources, Vietnam Association of Architects is responsible for design.
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