Digging rocks and clearing soil to find victims buried in the horrific landslide in Nam Tong

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The area was isolated after a serious landslide in Nam Tong commune (Lao Cai). The authorities mainly used manual tools such as hoes, shovels, axes, crowbars… to dig up tens of thousands of cubic meters of earth and rock.

Three days after the particularly serious flash flood and landslide in Nam Tong village (Nam Luc commune, Bac Ha district, Lao Cai province), as of the afternoon of September 13, 9 people were still missing.

Thousands of cubic meters of rock and soil collapsed in Nam Tong village.

According to the reporter of the Newspaper Workersbecause the road to Nam Tong village was severely eroded and cut off, people had to walk 8 km, cross mountains and forests to reach the scene of the landslide. Food, provisions and necessary items could only be transported by human power across the mountainous terrain with great difficulty.

At the landslide scene, on the third day of searching, the sun was shining brightly, and the water in the stream running through Nam Tong village had receded. Under the rubble, hundreds of soldiers, police, and volunteers were urgently searching for the missing victims. The authorities cordoned off the area, took shifts to wade through deep mud, and dug in a “rolling” manner to search for the victims.

Because the area was cut off by flood water, cars, machinery, and equipment could not be brought in. The authorities mainly used manual tools such as hoes, shovels, axes, crowbars, etc. to dig up tens of thousands of cubic meters of earth and rock.

In the excavation area, many soldiers had no boots to wear, no gloves to wear, and their drinking water was stream water flowing through the cracks.

The road down to Nam Tong village has serious landslides.

At the landslide area, Captain Vu Minh Tuan, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Capital Mobile Police Regiment (Mobile Police Command), said that upon receiving orders from the leadership, the Regiment quickly dispatched 100 officers and soldiers from Hanoi to the scene, coordinating with functional forces to search, rescue, and save victims in Nam Tong village.

Due to the severity of the landslide with thousands of cubic meters of earth and rock, the area was isolated and it was impossible to bring machinery and equipment into the village, so search and rescue work encountered many difficulties.

Nam Tong village devastated after the incident

“Currently, the authorities have to divide into two shifts, morning and afternoon, to search for the victims. This area has a weak structure, mainly sand and soil, and has been raining for many days, so it is very susceptible to further landslides. We have to work while being vigilant to ensure the safety of the rescue team,” said Mr. Tuan.

Only a few houses remained but were also seriously damaged.

According to observations, the command shelter was temporarily built about 2 km away from the landslide scene on the hill, to shelter the affected people in Nam Tong village. Here, the functional forces and people lack many necessary equipment and necessities such as: drinking water, household items, etc.

A mobile police officer shared that the weather in Nam Tong is very harsh, it can rain or shine at any time. “The temperature is very high during the day, and very low at night. Last night, it rained, the temperature dropped to 15 degrees Celsius, we couldn’t sleep” – said the mobile police officer.

Many personal belongings remained unburied after the landslide.

The baby’s birth certificate was buried in the landslide.

As reported Workers reported that in the early afternoon of September 10, a landslide occurred in Nam Tong village, causing great damage to people and property. The landslide killed 7 people, left 11 missing and injured 11 others. After the landslide, hundreds of people from many forces were mobilized by the Lao Cai provincial government and Bac Ha district to overcome the consequences and search for the missing victims.

According to authorities, by the afternoon of September 13, 9 victims’ bodies had been found, while 9 people from Nam Tong village were missing. Earlier, in the morning of September 13, authorities had found 2 victims, including a child.

Hundreds of police officers, soldiers, and volunteers dug and searched for victims.