Lai Chau (VNA) – The People's Committee of the northern mountainous province of Lai Chau has declared a state of emergency in response to natural disasters caused by prolonged heavy rainfall in Muong Than commune and at a landslide site that cut off a section of National Highway 12 in Le Loi commune.
From July 15 to 17, widespread and persistent heavy rain triggered flash floods and landslides across the province, causing severe damage to public property and private assets.
According to the latest report from the provincial People's Committee, as of 3:30 p.m. on July 17, the disasters had left one person dead, two injured, while five others remained missing.
The flooding also caused extensive property damage. In Muong Than, flash floods completely destroyed 13 houses in three villages, forcing residents to evacuate urgently, while many areas were cut off. In Pa U commune, landslides affected five houses, including four that collapsed completely and one at high risk of collapse.
Flash floods and inundation also caused heavy losses to rice fields, crops, aquaculture facilities, and other private property. Authorities have yet to complete a full assessment of the damage.
Major transport routes, including National Highways 32, 279, and 12, as well as numerous local roads linking villages and communes, have been blocked by landslides, causing severe traffic disruptions.
The provincial People’s Committee has directed departments, agencies, armed forces, and local authorities to mobilise all available resources to respond to and recover from the floods and landslides, with the aim of preventing any delays or unexpected developments.
In Muong Than, the hardest-hit area, provincial leaders immediately established a task force to travel to the disaster site and oversee rescue and relief operations.
Lai Chau has also mobilised all available local forces to support rescue efforts and urgently evacuate households from high-risk areas to designated safe locations, including schools, community centres, and office buildings. To date, 20 households in Muong Than, Pa U, and Le Loi communes have been relocated to safety.
Authorities have set up barriers and checkpoints around hazardous areas to prevent people and vehicles from entering, while deploying around 20 vehicles and heavy machines to clear landslide debris from roads and flood-hit areas, allowing temporary access for rescue operations and restoring traffic as quickly as possible./.
