Private of Regiment 98 burst into tears when he had to leave Lang Nu

TPO – While helping the villagers of Lang Nu village search for their loved ones after the terrible flood, Private Thao Mi Linh, a soldier of the 98th Regiment of the 316th Infantry Division, had a nail stuck deep into the sole of his foot. When he was transferred to the hospital, Thao Mi Linh cried because he could not stay to help his fellow countrymen.

At the foot of Con Voi Mountain, for generations, the Tay ethnic people in Lang Nu village, Phuc Khanh commune, Bao Yen district, Lao Cai province have lived peacefully and happily. However, the terrible flood on September 10th caused extreme devastation. Upon receiving the bad news, 300 officers and soldiers of Regiment 98 (Infantry Division 316, Military Region 2) mobilized that night to coordinate with other forces to participate in rescue and relief efforts.

Search for victims

We arrived at Lang Nu a day after the terrible incident. On the only road that had just been cleared by the Lao Cai Provincial Military Command (CHQS) due to dozens of landslides on both sides, even experienced military drivers had to keep a close eye out and be ready to handle any situation.

As soon as he arrived at the scene, even though it was dark, Major General Nguyen Dang Khai - Deputy Commander, Chief of Staff of Military Region 2, waded through the mud, using a flashlight to survey the field, grasp the situation of the area, and listen to the local authorities' preliminary reports of damage...

Soldiers of Regiment 98 wade through mud searching for missing people in Lang Nu village for many days. Photo: Viet Trung

An atmosphere of mourning and sadness enveloped Lang Nu. Everywhere in the village, heart-rending cries of people calling for their loved ones could be heard. Where Lang Nu used to live, there was now only a muddy field with sticks and rocks scattered about, along with the stench of dead livestock and poultry. Right on the concrete floor outside the village community center, dozens of new coffins were neatly stacked and gradually decreased each day as the bodies of the villagers were found…

Seeing Sam Van Bong exhausted and exhausted after nearly two days of living in a scene of mourning and pain, made everyone feel sad. The terrible flood that morning not only swept away all his house and property, but also took away his wife and four children.

Finally, the soldiers found all the bodies of their relatives so that Bong and his family could properly take care of the funeral. Seeing this scene, Major General Nguyen Dang Khai and the officers in the Forward Command Post of Military Region 2 located at the community center were all in tears.

Danger is always present under the muddy ground because sharp objects can pierce the skin at any time, but the soldiers of Regiment 98 are determined not to give up because helping their compatriots in danger is "an order from the heart". Photo: Viet Trung

Early the next morning, when many people were still asleep, and the fog still covered the branches and blades of grass all over the edge of the forest, Major General Khai went around the field, then quickly consulted with the officers and commanders of the units carrying out the search mission there.

He asked the forces to take advantage of the time to go to key locations to search for victims, especially to be on guard against safety risks because it is still raining, not excluding the possibility of further flash floods or landslides.

Following the direction of Military Region 2, the locality has selected 25 healthy men who are familiar with the terrain and topography to join the search with the Army and Police forces. Due to the complex and changing terrain of the flood in many different locations, each team and working group will have a local person accompanying them. When the bodies of the victims are found, they will invite their families and relatives to identify them, and the militia will assist the families in the burial.

According to Military Region 2, at the landslide scene in Lang Nu, on the morning of September 18, officers and soldiers of Regiment 98 found another body of a missing victim. The body was intact, identified as a male and was found in the area upstream of the scene, at a depth of about 3m, where there were many large rocks. The authorities have carried out procedures to hand over to the local authorities for funeral arrangements. According to statistics, 53 bodies have been found so far, and 13 people are still missing.

No fear of danger

Pitying their fellow countrymen, not minding the hardship, together with other forces, officers and soldiers of Division 316 rushed into the flood; divided into many working groups, taking advantage of the time to search and dig in every bush, grass field, mud hole, stream, with the hope of soon finding the unfortunate victims to hand over to their families for funeral arrangements.

The soldiers divided into many working groups and teams, taking advantage of the time with the hope of finding the unfortunate victims soon. Photo: Viet Trung

In the conditions of power outage, lack of clean water, unstable mobile phone signal and deep mud with iron nails and sharp pieces of glass… the soldiers of Military Region 2 did not falter, because somewhere under the mud were the bodies of civilians. There were soldiers injured when stepping on nails while searching for victims, but their spirit did not waver.

While on duty, Private Thao Mi Linh - a soldier of Company 5, Battalion 8, Regiment 98 (Mong ethnic, from Dong Van district, Ha Giang province) had a sharp nail stuck deep into the sole of his foot, causing a lot of bleeding. The on-duty medical team had to widen the wound to disinfect it, give him a tetanus shot, and take Linh to the Military Hospital for treatment. When he was transferred to the hospital, Linh cried because he was not allowed to stay with his comrades to help the people of Lang Nu search for their relatives.

With a hoarse voice after 4 days of directly commanding troops searching for victims in Lang Nu, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Ngoc Ba - Commander of Regiment 98, shared that the Regiment was practicing at the training ground in Tuyen Quang, but when the Division Chief ordered, the unit urgently mobilized forces to Ha Hoa (Phu Tho) to help people fight flooding, only one day later, there was an order to immediately mobilize to Lang Nu.

Soldiers of Regiment 98 (Division 316, Military Region 2) and other forces have been working hard to search for victims in Lang Nu village. Photo: Dao Duy Tuan

“We immediately marched at night, bringing with us many supplies, search tools, medicine, military bandages, and dry food. In Lang Nu village, the Regiment, together with local people, militia, and Border Guard dogs, spread out to key areas to search for victims. Our unit found many unfortunate victims, handed them over to the local authorities and their families for funeral arrangements, and helped ease the pain of Lang Nu villagers,” Lieutenant Colonel Ba said tearfully.

Mr. Hoang Van Diep - Head of Lang Nu village (Phuc Khanh commune, Bao Yen district, Lao Cai province), shared: “Seeing the soldiers come to help the people, the people were very happy and felt more secure. They did not mind the hardships and dangers, rushing into the flood, wading in deep mud to search for the unfortunate people. Many people cleaned their houses, arranged their belongings to invite the soldiers to stay, and also worried about finding clean water for the soldiers to bathe and wash. In the most heartbreaking and panicked moments, the soldiers came to help the people gradually ease their pain and loss.”

Tienphong.vn

Source: https://tienphong.vn/binh-nhi-trung-doan-98-bat-khoc-khi-phai-roi-lang-nu-post1674312.tpo