20cm crack on the hill and the brain-wrenching decision to save 115 lives of the 9X village chief

20cm crack found on hill

On the evening of September 12, Mr. Ma Seo Chu (33 years old), Head of Kho Vang village, Coc Lau commune (Bac Ha district) said: "Currently, the health of the people in the village is stable. Yesterday afternoon, the government transported food and essential supplies to the temporary shelter, so people no longer have to worry about food shortages."

Mr. Chu is the one who mobilized 17 households with 115 people in Kho Vang village to move to a safe place on a mountain about 1km away.

According to Mr. Chu, on the morning of September 9, when he saw that the rain had been heavy for many days and showed no signs of stopping, he mobilized 7 young men in the village to form a group to inspect the hill above the village. During the inspection, a crack 20cm wide and about 30m long was discovered.

In particular, the location where the crack was discovered was right on the hill, about 100m from Kho Vang village, so his group went back to notify and mobilize everyone to evacuate.

“Realizing the high risk of landslides, we split up to inform everyone. When we were asked to relocate, most people agreed, only a few households disagreed, but after being explained, they set off,” Mr. Chu recounted.

After being propagandized and mobilized by the village chief, at around 12 noon on September 9, 17 households began to move in the rain. People walked and waited, supporting each other, and the strong people were assigned to carry rice. After 30 minutes of walking, the households arrived at the campsite.

“While the group was moving, I told a group to go ahead to survey the situation and choose a place to set up the tent. After arriving, each person had a job to help each other cut bamboo and rattan to set up the tent, make beds, and then stretch out the tarpaulin. By 2:30 p.m., the tent area was completed,” said Mr. Chu.

Help each other survive on the mountain

On the morning of September 11, the commune police and authorities had to travel 15km of landslide-hit roads to reach the village and find the people taking refuge. During that time, 17 households were unable to communicate with the outside world and had to take the initiative in everything.

Talking about the 2 days of life separated from the outside world at the shelter, Mr. Chu said that life was very difficult but these were the most memorable days in the lives of 115 people.

“We mainly brought rice and a little food. When the food ran out, some people would go into the forest to find bamboo shoots to boil. However, getting water was also difficult because the water source was nearly 400m away from the camp site. At night, we would cut bamboo tubes and pour oil into them to make lamps,” said Mr. Chu.

At noon on September 11, after finding a temporary shelter, the commune government sent functional forces to transport food to help people stabilize their lives and guide people on disaster prevention and control plans.

Mr. Nguyen Van Tuan, Chairman of the People's Committee of Coc Lau Commune (Bac Ha District, Lao Cai) said that during the recent flood, in Kho Vang village (Coc Lau Commune), a landslide occurred, leaving 3 people missing, 2 injured, and 5 houses completely swept away.

"Currently, the area is still at high risk of landslides, so the locality decided to let the households continue to stay in the temporary shelters until Kho Vang village is no longer at risk of landslides, then they will be brought back," said Mr. Tuan.