At least 17 people were killed in a landslide on Sept. 7 while heading to a tin mine in La Pan Tan Commune, in the northern mountainous province of Yen Bai.
Representatives of the Mu Cang Chai district People's Committee said dozens of indigenous people were walking towards the mine owned by Thinh Dat Company Ltd to collect left-over tin ore when disaster struck.
Mountain landslides, caused by torrential rains over the past few days, buried around 20 people, according to witnesses.
Three others were injured, one of them later died in hospital.
By 5pm, 16 bodies had been hauled from under thousands of cubic metres of rock and soil.
Around 100 policemen and soldiers continued to work in heavy rain as they searched for the remaining victims.
Chairman of La Pan Tan commune People's Committee Giang Chu Ly said local people often come to the area to collect left-over tin ore since the mine was open in 2010.
"Although we have made them commit to stopping this practice, poor people in the area sill take risks trying to get some tin ore to sell," he said.
Since Sept. 3 the torrential rains have also killed at least 11 people in central coastal areas while another person remains missing, the National Committee for Search and Rescue reported on Sept. 7./.
Representatives of the Mu Cang Chai district People's Committee said dozens of indigenous people were walking towards the mine owned by Thinh Dat Company Ltd to collect left-over tin ore when disaster struck.
Mountain landslides, caused by torrential rains over the past few days, buried around 20 people, according to witnesses.
Three others were injured, one of them later died in hospital.
By 5pm, 16 bodies had been hauled from under thousands of cubic metres of rock and soil.
Around 100 policemen and soldiers continued to work in heavy rain as they searched for the remaining victims.
Chairman of La Pan Tan commune People's Committee Giang Chu Ly said local people often come to the area to collect left-over tin ore since the mine was open in 2010.
"Although we have made them commit to stopping this practice, poor people in the area sill take risks trying to get some tin ore to sell," he said.
Since Sept. 3 the torrential rains have also killed at least 11 people in central coastal areas while another person remains missing, the National Committee for Search and Rescue reported on Sept. 7./.
