Three children aged 3, 5 and 14 were found dead after being swept away by flash floods triggered by heavy rain in Son La Province on the evening of Aug. 1.
The children were riding on a motorbike in Gia Phu Commune when they were caught in floodwaters. Their abandoned motorbike was later found lodged against a roadside barrier, prompting a large-scale search involving about 125 police officers, militia members, local officials and residents.
The victims’ bodies were recovered between the night of Aug. 1 and the morning of Aug. 2, with the youngest child found downstream after an overnight search.
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Authorities search for three children swept away by floods in Gia Phu Commune of Son La Province. Photo by Military Zone 2 Newspaper |
The Vietnam Disaster and Dyke Management Authority under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment reported Sunday that in Lao Cai Province, heavy rain accompanied by thunderstorms and strong winds over the weekend injured one person.
Landslides and flooding affected 13 houses, while local authorities evacuated 30 households to safer areas. Flooding also damaged eight hectares of rice fields in the province.
Following the disasters, local authorities deployed emergency forces to affected areas to assist residents, assess damage and help restore production and daily life.
The authority has maintained round-the-clock monitoring of weather conditions, natural disasters and dyke systems, while providing forecast updates to local authorities to support disaster response. In coordination with Zalo Vietnam – the country’s leading messaging platform, it also sent disaster preparedness guidance to six million mobile subscribers in areas forecast to face heavy rain, flooding, flash floods, landslides, strong winds, lightning and hail.
Local authorities have been instructed to remain on alert, closely monitor weather forecasts and implement response and recovery measures.
According to the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, the northern region and the north central province of Thanh Hoa are expected to experience showers, moderate rain and thunderstorms from the night of Aug. 3 to 7, with some areas likely to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall.
From the night of Aug. 3 to 11, the central province of Nghe An to Hue city and the south-central coast are forecast to see scattered evening and nighttime showers and thunderstorms. The Central Highlands and southern regions will also experience scattered showers and thunderstorms, with locally heavy rain expected from around Aug. 4-5.
Nguyen Van Huong, head of the center’s Weather Forecast Division, warned that thunderstorms could bring whirlwinds, lightning, hail and strong gusts.
To minimize damage and prepare for further heavy rain, flooding, flash floods, landslides and severe weather, the National Civil Defence Steering Committee has urged affected provinces and cities to closely monitor forecasts and warnings, promptly inform local authorities and residents, and mobilize forces for recovery efforts.