Bodies of 17 victims killed in landslide in Cao Bang found

As of 8:00 p.m. on September 9, Cao Bang province's search and rescue forces had found 17 victims killed by storms, floods, and landslides in Nguyen Binh district.

Rescuers also took 8 injured people to medical facilities for treatment and are actively searching for 16 missing people.

According to Mr. Dao Nguyen Phong, Chairman of the People's Committee of Nguyen Binh district, there were many landslides in the district, of which 3 landslides caused deaths, injuries and missing people including Khuoi Ngoa hamlet, Lung Ly hamlet, Ca Thanh commune; Lung Sung hamlet, Yen Lac commune.

However, up to now, the rescue force has only been able to reach two points: Khuoi Ngoa and Lung Ly; and Lung Sung hamlet, Yen Lac commune, is currently inaccessible due to the large amount of landslides and rocks, making it difficult for the authorities to carry out rescue work.

Present at the scene to command the search and rescue work, Mr. Hoang Xuan Anh, Chairman of the People's Committee of Cao Bang province, requested the forces participating in the rescue to have a plan to ensure the safety of people's lives and property, support people at risk of landslides; quickly and promptly clear the route, access the scene, actively treat the injured, and search for the missing.

At the same time, functional forces are required to notify and warn of dangerous locations; step up information dissemination on the risk of landslides continuing to occur to limit people and vehicles from participating in traffic when not necessary; notify people of areas at risk of landslides to move and evacuate to a safe place.

Currently, the rescue situation is still very difficult. National Highway 34 from Nguyen Binh town to Ca Thanh commune (where the serious landslide occurred) has dozens of landslides and traffic jams, making it very difficult to bring machinery and vehicles to the scene. On the other hand, the weather is still unstable, with occasional rain making the road surface slippery and wet, and the risk of further landslides is still very high.