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Local authorities and people searching for the buried victims in the landslide in Phuoc Loc Commune.
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It’s the third fatal landslide to hit the central province of Quang Nam in less than 12 hours. Sixteen bodies were recovered from the two previously reported landslides as 37 people are still unaccounted for.
Although the third landslide happened on Wednesday, reports are only just being confirmed due to a poor communication in the region because of bad weather.
The latest fatalities were reported in the mountainous district Phuoc Son of Quang Nam Province as typhoon Molave hit Wednesday, authorities confirmed this afternoon.
The Phuoc Son landslide incident took place 2pm on Wednesday in village 6, Phuoc Loc Commune, following heavy downpours brought by the typhoon, according to local residents, but with communications completely cut off due to the weather, the officials of the village had to cross the forest on foot in several hours to report the situation to the commune's authorities.
The village's personnel and residents had found three bodies of the 11 victims.
Phuoc Loc Commune and Phuoc Son District are trying to get access to the incident site to search for the remaining eight victims but the long distance coupled with landslide incidents on the way to the village have severely delayed the response.
Outside help will not be to reach the site at least until Thursday evening.
Among the three bodies recovered are two officials of Phuoc Loc Commune who were helping the local residents respond to the Molave typhoon.
Another body of landslide victims in Quang Nam recovered
One more body was retrieved from debris of a landslide in Tra Van commune, Nam Tra My district in the central province of Quang Nam, on October 29.
This brings the total of the bodies recovered from Quang Nam landslide to eight, according to Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Ho Quang Buu.
Twelve people injured in the landslide are getting treatment at the district’s healthcare centre.
Currently, rescue efforts are underway for 45 victims of a landslide in Ong De village, Tra Leng commune, despite heavy rains and disrupted traffic caused by Storm Molave.
Storm Molave – the ninth in Vietnam, swept through many localities in the central region, causing torrential downpours and strong wind in the night of October 27.
Initial statistics show that it destroyed 34 houses and blew the roof of 56,163 others.
According to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, after making a landfall in the region from Da Nang city to Phu Yen province in the afternoon of October 28, the storm weakened into a tropical depression, delivering drenching rains and strong gusts to central localities./.
Race against time to find landslide victims: Deputy PM
Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung on October 29 ordered competent forces to race against time and mobilise vehicles to clear out National Highway 40 so as to access the sites of the landslides that buried 53 people in two mountainous communes in central Quang Nam province.
Right after learning about the landslides that hit Tra Leng and Tra Van communes in Nam Tra My district on October 28 night, the Deputy PM, other Government officials and leaders of Quang Nam province came to Bac Tra My district near the landslide sites to instruct the search and rescue operations on October 29.
Armed forces of Military Zone 5 and the Military High Command of Quang Nam province are playing the core role in the special efforts.
The Deputy PM also suggested accessing the sites via waterways and air routes.
According to Thai Hoang Vu, Chairman of the People’s Committee of Bac Tra My district, five slides have been reported along National Highway 40, disrupting traffic and hindering rescue efforts.
As of 12:00 on October 29, three of the five slides on the highway had been handled, while the remainders are set to be cleared out by 4pm the same day, and rescue forces are expected to approach the two communes by 5pm on the day.
Lt. Gen. Nguyen Long Cang, Commander of Military Zone 5, said more than 200 officers and soldiers headed to the sites for search and rescue operations on October 28 night.
They are now in the centre of Bac Tra My district, nearly 15km from the landslide sites, while roads are being cleared out.
Phan Viet Cuong, Secretary of the provincial Party Committee, said the bodies of 16 out of the 53 victims have been found.
The province has called for the involvement of local youths in the response work, and asked residents in mountainous districts to stay on high alert against further landslides and floods, he said./.
16 dead, dozens missing after landslides in central Vietnam
Sixteen people have died and dozens are still missing after two separate landslides in central Việt Nam.
Authorities say 42 people remain missing across both sites.
Late Wednesday night 45 people were buried after bad weather caused a landslide at village 1, Trà Leng Commune a remote mountainous district of Quảng Nam Province.
Another eight people are also unaccounted for after another slide hit village 1, Trà Vân Commune, about 40km away.
Search and rescue efforts began at first light Thursday morning but teams faced difficulties reaching the affected areas as a number of smaller landslides had blocked roads.
Authorities say 37 people remain missing across both sites.
According to Hồ Quang Bửu, vice chair of Quảng Nam Province, the number of victims might be lower than the initially projected 53 as two families have reportedly managed to escape up into the mountain, but the information has not been confirmed yet.
The devastation was caused by Storm Molave which brought heavy rains across the central regions when it made landfall yesterday.
Lieutenant General Nguyễn Long Cáng, Commander of the 5th Military Region arrived at the Trà Leng this morning with 200 soldiers.
He said that while rescues efforts must be carried out as quickly as possible, the safety of those looking for the victims remains paramount.
Soldiers are currently using machinery and hand tools to clear the route to the areas where those missing are thought to be.
At 9am, Deputy Prime Minister Trịnh Đình Dũng, who was tasked with directing response and relief efforts after the storm, arrived in Nam Trà My District.
Dũng asked that the rescue forces make use of all available approaches to gain access to the site, including using helicopters to survey the site and drop off rescuers if necessary.
Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc has called this morning to get updates on the situation and sent words of encouragement to the search and rescue units, Dũng said.
Tuổi trẻ (Youth) newspaper quoted an official from Trà Teng Commune saying that due to the storm, mobile phone coverage in the region has been disrupted and they could not contact the chairman of the commune People’s Committee Lê Hoàng Việt, fearing that his entire family might be among the victims of the landslide.
Late last night, PM Phúc sent an urgent dispatch to the Ministry of Defence, the National Committee for Search and Rescue, the 5th Military Region Command, and Quảng Nam People’s Committee to coordinate to search for and rescue the victims “by all necessary measures,” and report to the PM.
Also in Quảng Nam, at around 1pm, a side of a mountain suddenly collapsed in Tăk Pỏ township, Trà Mai Commune, Nam Trà My District, burying several houses but luckily, four people managed to escape from the landslide and no fatalities were reported.
Nam Trà My authorities then immediately relocate 100 households in the high risks area to safer locations.
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At least 16 people have died and 37 are missing after landslides hit two mountainous communes in Nam Tra My district, central Quang Nam province, on October 28. Of the victims, 45 are from Tra Leng commune, and the remainders from Tra Van commune, according to the provincial military command. (Photo: VNA)
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