The man who lost his entire family explained why he burst into tears and hugged the soldier goodbye as he left Lang Nu.

Nearly 400 soldiers, who were searching for missing people in Lang Nu, have officially returned to their units. Mr. Hoang Van Thoi could not hold back his tears at the moment of farewell.

Accordingly, on the afternoon of September 24, the scene at Lang Nu, Phuc Khanh commune, Bao Yen district (Lao Cai) was filled with emotion when nearly 400 officers and soldiers of Military Region 2 and border guards completed their mission and officially withdrew from this place.

The past 15 days have been a race against time, wading through mud, working in the rain, searching for buried victims. The solidarity between the army and the people has created strength, encouraging the people to ease some of their mental wounds.

Hearing that the main force had to leave the village, people who had just experienced pain and loss stood on both sides of the road to say goodbye to each soldier. There were no flowers or applause at the farewell, everyone was choked up.

Along the village road, the red eyes and tight handshakes of the people and soldiers were words of encouragement and steadfastness on the road ahead. Many people also brought packages of sticky rice and bags of cakes to hand to the soldiers. For them, what the soldiers had helped them with would be an unforgettable memory of the deep military-civilian relationship.

The steadfast soldiers also silently bowed their heads, quickly wiping away their tears as they walked. The baggage each of them brought back to their unit not only contained the affection of their compatriots, but also the regret that there were still people missing.

After leaving the cultural house, the soldiers lined up, facing the flattened village, raising their hands in solemn salute, remembering the victims of the catastrophic landslide. There were people still lying there, their pain imprinted in every inch of the ground.

The people of Lang Nu were not only moved by the soldiers’ tireless efforts, but also by the humanity in those seemingly fleeting moments. The farewells, the tears and the gratitude said it all.

In the crowd, the image of Hoang Van Thoi (32 years old) - the only survivor of a family of 6 in Lang Nu, with a gaunt face and dark skin, bursting into tears and hugging each soldier made people's hearts ache even more.

Sharing with Dan Tri reporter, Mr. Hoang Van Thoi said: "At that moment, I burst into tears because I felt sorry for the soldiers who did not hesitate to work hard to search for the victims in Lang Nu. For the past two weeks, the soldiers have eaten and lived together, shared, encouraged, and confided in the people."

Earlier, on the evening of September 9, Mr. Thoi took his mother, wife and children to his sister-in-law's place for temporary shelter after discovering signs of a landslide behind the house. He thought it was a safe place, but after a loud explosion, water and rocks rushed down, completely burying his sister-in-law's house.

The flash flood on the night of September 10th took away all of Mr. Thoi’s loved ones in an instant. It was not until September 22nd, after nearly a week of relentless searching, that little L. - his son, who was also the last member of the family, was found.

The pain was so great that Mr. Thoi could not cry all this time, but at the moment of saying goodbye to the soldiers, all his emotions burst out. The man who had stood strong in the face of adversity could no longer hold back his tears and sobbed in front of the people who had helped reunite his family.

"Today is the first time I've seen Thoi cry so much, maybe he's been holding back his pain for too long. So pitiful," one netizen expressed. "The images cannot be described in words. I love Thoi more than words can describe," another account wrote.

Currently, although the main forces have withdrawn from Lang Nu, the search for the missing continues. Nearly 200 local personnel will take on that responsibility, hoping to bring some comfort to families who are waiting for news of their loved ones.

As of now, Lang Nu still has 11 people unaccounted for, and hope is not lost for those who are waiting.

Làng Nủ hồi sinh: Bà con bắt đầu cuộc sống mới, hoa nở, điểm tô nhiều cây xanh Châu Anh14:32:14 16/10/2024Một tháng kể từ sau trận lũ quét thương tâm thôn Làng Nủ, xã Phúc Khánh (Bảo Yên), đến thời điểm hiện tại, vẫn còn 7 thi thể vẫn nằm dưới lớp bùn sâu, để lại nỗi đau day dứt cho nhiều người.