According to initial statistics, more than 100 houses were damaged and floodwaters swept away around 200ha of paddy rice and thousands of cattle and poultry with estimated losses of more than VND43 billion.
A sudden rise in the water level of rivers and streams resulted in partial flooding in Xuan Hoa town and Soc Ha, Na Sac and Quy Quan communes. Many places in Pac Bo special national relic site, Bang Giang riverhead and Xuan Hoa town were under more than one metres of water. The only bridge to Na Rai and Nam Lin hamlets collapsed in the deluge.
Local authorities and Ha Quang district Board for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control and Search and Rescue arrived to the scene to direct recovery efforts and mobilized forces to evacuate local people to safer areas.
By 10am on August 4, flashfloods and landslides had claimed 6 lives, left 7 people missing and injured 6 in the two communes of Mu Sang and Vang Ma Chai in Phong Tho district of the northern province of Lai Chau. The extent of the damage continues to rise as functional forces gain access to areas of the district most severely affected by landslides. Many paths linking communes and hamlets have been blocked and are impassible.
Local authorities and border guards of Dao San and Vang Ma Chai border posts have contributed greatly to recovery efforts, working tirelessly to clear paths to provide relief aid for local people and search for the missing.
Major Truong Minh Duc, head of Dao San border post, said hundreds of residential areas are at risk of being hit by landslides. Five households have already been moved to safer areas.
