Days after deadly landslides, Vietnamese still digging up pieces

By Ngoc Thanh   June 28, 2018 | 12:08 am PT
They've got their hands and eyes red looking for family members who were swept away in the horrifying floods.
Villagers dig the ground in a remote valley of Lai Chau Province to look  for four victims that have gone missing for three days after landslide  completely destroyed their village in the blink of an eye.

Villagers dig the ground in a remote valley of Lai Chau Province in Vietnam's northern highlands to look for four people still buried in mud after landslides struck their village on Sunday afternoon.

Nam Ha 1 Village, which used to be home to ten people, is now 30 meters underground, as estimated by a sapper.

Nam Ha 1 Village, which used to be home to four families, is now 30 meters underground.

After ten days of raining, the three mountains surrounding the valley suddenly fell down in the afternoon of Sunday in the blink of an eye, Lo Van Sanh, 42, who is still looking for his wife and daughter, says.

“After 10 days of raining, the three mountain peaks surrounding the valley suddenly fell down in the blink of an eye,” says Lo Van Sanh, 42, as he is looking for his wife and daughter.

Red mud and soil dyes Sanhs hands after three days he excavated nonstop to find the two family members that have gone with his house and farm.

Mud and soil dye Sanh’s hands red after days of searching.

A broken pot, a knife, a torch, a piece of mosquito-net are all whats left of Nam Ha 1.

A broken pot, a knife, a torch and a mosquito net are all that’s left of Nam Ha 1.

Sing Thi Tom performs a local ritual in hope that it would help find her niece. Shes my sisters daughter. She has gone with the piece of field my family has just bought for a few months and has not earned any crops yet.

Sing Thi Tom performs a local ritual in hope to find her niece.

This woman sits down for a rest after hours of looking for a family member.

A woman sits down for a rest after spending hours looking for a family member.

Other relatives of missing people stand in the rain, waiting for information of their beloved. The landslide swept away five people in total and the body of the first one, a young man, was found on Wednesday morning.

Other relatives of the missing people stand in the rain, waiting for information of their beloved. The landslide swept away five people and one body was found on Wednesday morning.

Whats left of a farm after flash floods and landslide have gone. Lai Chau was hit hardest by the disaster triggered by heavy rains as the rainy season arrives in the northern mountainous region. Total death in the three provinces of Lai Chau, Ha Giang and Lao Cai reached 19 people and 11 are missing.

What’s left of a farm. Lai Chau is worst hit by floods and landslides in Vietnam’s northern highlands in the last days of June, which killed at least 23 people and 10 are still missing. Lai Chau alone has reported 16 dead and is still struggling with torrential rains, which have cut off roads and isolated certain areas.

The disaster's damage has been estimated at VND458.7 billion ($20 million).

 
 
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