Lao Cai's CT was red-eyed and choked up: the number of people lost was a record in a century, so heartbreaking!

In an interview, Mr. Trinh Xuan Truong, Chairman of Lao Cai Provincial People's Committee, choked up and his eyes turned red as he talked about the losses his province suffered after storm No. 3.

In recent days, due to the influence of storm No. 3 (storm Yagi), from the night of September 7 to September 11, 2024, Lao Cai province experienced moderate to heavy rain over a wide area; causing deep flooding and very serious damage to people and infrastructure of the State and people.

According to local reports, as of 7:00 a.m. on September 12, 2024, the whole province had 246 people dead, missing, or injured. Of which, 82 people died (Sa Pa 08, Van Ban 02, Bac Ha 15, Si Ma Cai 07, Bat Xat 12, Bao Yen 38); 95 people were missing (Sa Pa 01, Bat Xat 04, Bac Ha 19, Bao Yen 71); 69 people were injured (Sa Pa 17, Bat Xat 07, Bac Ha 17, Si Ma Cai 10, Bao Yen 18).

The total number of houses flooded, landslides, and swept away by floods is 9,172; of which 444 houses were completely damaged >70%; 306 houses were very severely damaged 50 - 70%; 1,828 houses were severely damaged 30 - 50%; 1,643 houses were partially damaged <30%. 3,107 houses were flooded; 319 houses collapsed.

In addition, many houses and auxiliary structures were damaged. Currently, 97 villages/25 communes are isolated, and people cannot travel due to flooding and landslides on roads.

With the motto "save people first, save property later", rescue work, searching for missing people, and taking the injured to emergency rooms are carried out with the utmost urgency, efficiency, and safety.

On September 9-10, Lao Cai found many buried people and handed them over to their families for burial according to local customs. The locality brought 69 injured people to provincial and district hospitals for free emergency care and treatment. Currently, forces are still working day and night to search for missing people.

Present in Bao Yen district, Mr. Trinh Xuan Truong, Chairman of Lao Cai Provincial People's Committee, choked up, his eyes red, talking about the losses of his province after storm No. 3. He choked up and shared with VTV: "For the first time in nearly 100 years, there has been such a large number of deaths and missing people in the province. The province is focusing on rescue in two main areas: Bac Ha district and Bao Yen district.

At this point, Lao Cai is determined to unite with the authorities to search for missing people and stabilize people's lives."

The flash flood that occurred early in the morning of September 10 in Phuc Khanh commune, Bao Yen district, Lao Cai province buried the entire Lang Nu village with 35 households and 128 people. To date, 42 unfortunate people have been found, and 53 people are still missing.

Also on September 10, a serious landslide occurred in Nam Tong village, Nam Luc commune, Bac Ha district. A large amount of rock and soil from the landslide buried 8 houses, killing 7 people and leaving 11 missing.

Mr. Truong assessed that the military and police forces had coordinated well in the search for the missing people. He suggested building an observation post with a system of 5-6 gongs around it to alert the search force to ensure safety. "With the sudden flood like this, we cannot be careless and subjective," he said.

Lao Cai provincial leaders said that this area is at risk of landslides, flash floods, and flash floods. The task of the search force is very important for the people but must ensure safety. The search process must have a commander in chief, not go alone to maintain contact, otherwise when a situation arises, it will be subjective.

The search process is divided into areas, after today's search is over, we will move on to another section. "The district is determined to evacuate households at risk of landslides and flash floods; no one should be left in the house," he requested.

Colonel Dang Van Canh agreed with the plan proposed by Lao Cai provincial leaders, and at the same time suggested that the resting area for officers and soldiers should be about 2 km away from Lang Nu village, because this area still has the potential risk of landslides. At 7:30 tomorrow, the authorities will continue searching for the victim.