Floods, landslides wreak havoc on northern mountainous region

A village hit by flash floods in Muong Than commune, Lai Chau province. (Photo: VNA)

Torrential rains, floods and landslides have left four people dead, four others missing, and nine injured in Lai Chau province while property damage been reported in a number of mountainous northern areas.

Aside from human losses in Lai Chau, 21 houses collapsed, 144 were damaged, and 64 homes affected by flooding and landslides across the provinces of Lai Chau, Lao Cai, Dien Bien and Son La as of 8am on July 19, according to the Vietnam Disaster and Dyke Management Authority under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.

As many as 275 households were also urgently evacuated in the face of the natural disasters.

About 696 hectares of rice fields and other crops were damaged while 28 livestock and 62 poultry killed.

Floods and landslides disrupted transportation, triggering multiple road collapses along national and provincial highways in Lai Chau, Son La and Dien Bien provinces.

Total economic losses were estimated at about 255 billion VND (nearly 9.7 million USD), with Lai Chau accounting for the largest share of the damage with 190 billion VND, followed by Son La with 46.04 billion VND, Lao Cai with 16.7 billion VND, and Dien Bien with 2.3 billion VND.

Local authorities have mobilised emergency personnel and equipment to assist affected residents, restore transport links and help communities recover.

The National Centre for Hydrometeorological Forecasting warned that showers and thunderstorms are expected to continue in many parts of the country through July 28, with localised heavy rainfall posing risks of flash floods, landslides, lightning, hail and strong winds.

Nguyen Van Huong, head of the centre’s weather forecasting department, said people in affected areas should remain alert for the possibility of tornadoes, lightning, hail and strong gusty winds during thunderstorms.

The National Civil Defence Steering Committee has urged local authorities to closely monitor weather developments, issue timely warnings, evacuate residents from high-risk areas, ensure traffic safety, inspect reservoirs and mining sites and strengthen disaster preparedness to minimise further losses.

Local authorities have been instructed to notify owners of fish cages and rafts, investors overseeing construction projects along rivers, and operators of inland waterway transport and mineral extraction activities of the flood situation, so that they can take measures to ensure the safety of people, fish cages, vessels, equipment and construction works.

They are also required to inspect, review and put into practice flood control plans for river dykes, with particular attention to vulnerable sections, locations where previous incidents have occurred but have yet to be fully repaired, and dyke projects still under construction, to ensure safety.

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