sat lo van ban.jpg
Approximately 60,000m³ of soil and rocks spilled onto Provincial Road 162. Photo: Tung Lam.

According to the People’s Committee of Van Ban District, the landslide occurred at around 5 a.m. on September 26, completely burying a stretch of Provincial Road 162 at km4+970, which connects Bao Thang District to Van Ban.

A representative from the Van Ban People’s Committee stated that authorities quickly mobilized personnel and machinery to clear the debris and manage traffic. While cleanup efforts are ongoing, vehicles traveling from Bao Thang to Van Ban are being rerouted through alternative roads: Bao Thang – Tang Loong Town – Provincial Road 151 – Vo Lao – Son Thuy – National Highway 279 – Van Ban.

Over the past three weeks, as a result of Typhoon No. 3 and its aftermath, Lao Cai has suffered severe damage to both people and infrastructure. The heavy rains and floods triggered landslides and damaged roads, affecting nearly 2,000 locations across national and provincial roads with significant slope failures. The total length of the damaged roads amounts to approximately 10 kilometers.

By 5 p.m. on September 24, the typhoon and its aftereffects had caused an estimated loss of over 6.641 trillion VND to the province.

Key areas impacted include:

- Bac Ha District: 881.5 billion VND

- Si Ma Cai District: 723.3 billion VND

- Lao Cai City: 800 billion VND

- Bao Thang District: 369.7 billion VND

- Bat Xat District: 1.2628 trillion VND

- Van Ban District: 140 billion VND

- Muong Khuong District: 91.4 billion VND

- Bao Yen District: 1.7 trillion VND

- Sa Pa Town: 600.2 billion VND

- Telecommunications: 72.3 billion VND

In total, the disaster has caused 201 casualties in Lao Cai, including 131 fatalities, with the districts of Sa Pa, Van Ban, Bac Ha, Si Ma Cai, Bat Xat, and Bao Yen being the hardest hit. Additionally, 50 people have been injured, and 20 remain missing, mostly in the districts of Bat Xat, Bac Ha, and Bao Yen.

Duc Hoang