Shooting in Yen Bai: two victims, shooter dead

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc visits victims at the Yen Bai General Hospital. (Source: VNA)

Yen Bai (VNA) – The two victims of the shooting in the northern province of Yen Bai died at Yen Bai General Hospital on August 18, according to a news conference held by the province on the same day.

Pham Duy Cuong, Secretary of the Yen Bai province Party Committee, and Ngo Ngoc Tuan, Chairman of the provincial People’s Council, did not survive their heavy injuries after being shot by Do Cuong Minh, Director of the provincial Forest Protection Agency, who turned the gun on himself and died at the hospital.

At the news conference on August 18, Pham Thi Thanh Tra, Deputy Secretary of the province Party Committee and chairperson of the provincial People’s Committee, and Major General Dang Tran Chieu, Director of the provincial police, confirmed Minh used a short gun to shoot Cuong and Tuan.

Tra said the province has been implementing measures to ensure all administrative activities continue as normal.

On August 18, before the opening of the provincial People’s Council’s second meeting Minh arrived at the office of Secretary of the provincial Party Committee Pham Duy Cuong, and shot him.

Minh then moved on to the office of Ngo Ngoc Tuan, Chairman of the provincial People’s Council and head of the provincial Party Committee’s Organisation Commission, repeated the act and then shot himself dead.

The two victims and the shooter were rushed to the local general hospital in critical condition.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc visited Yen Bai on August 18; and when meeting with hospital staff, he asked them to do their best to save the victims. Doctors from the Hanoi-based Bach Mai hospital were sent to help with the treatment. But the victims could not be saved.

During a working session with the standing board of the provincial Party’s Committee, the PM said it is a great loss and an especially serious incident for the country and the locality.

He asked the Ministry of Public Security to work with local police to investigate the incident.

The local public security and defence forces were also assigned to prevent any further negative occurrences impacting political stability and social security and safety.-VNA