Services held for 22 Quang Tri landslide-killed soldiers

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Respects were paid and memorial services held on October 22 for 22 officers and soldiers of Economic-Defence Army 337 of Military Region 4, who sacrificed their lives conducting flood response operations in central Quang Tri province. (Photo: VNA)

Respects were paid and memorial services held on October 22 for 22 officers and soldiers of Economic-Defence Army 337 of Military Region 4, who sacrificed their lives conducting flood response operations in central Quang Tri province.

Party General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, and National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan sent wreaths to the ceremony.

Politburo member and Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh led a Party and State delegation to the tribute to the deceased who died responding to flooding on October 18.

Their deaths have grieved their families, all military officers and soldiers, and people nationwide, Binh said, stressing that the Party, State and people will always remember their sacrifice.

He extended deepest sympathies and condolences to the bereaved families and hoped they will soon overcome the loss and stabilise their lives.

Delegations from the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defence, the General Department of Politics of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA), the National Committee for Disaster Response, the VPA’s General Staff, Military Region 4, and the Ministry of Planning and Investment, among others, also attended the services.

One eulogy noted that the officers and soldiers of the unit had conducted rescue operations in Huong Phung commune in Huong Hoa district, Quang Tri province, helping local residents protect their lives and property amid torrential rains and floods that triggered landslides.

They returned to their base before continuing with the mission and were killed in a landslide on the night of October 18, representing a huge loss for their families, Military Region 4, the army, and citizens nationwide.

All were posthumously presented with national defence orders, recognised as martyrs, and promoted in ranks by the State President, the Prime Minister, and the defence ministry.