Village chief's call saves 90 people

The torrential rain has passed for nearly 3 days, hundreds of people in Xa Dung commune (Dien Bien province) although still shocked, still cannot forget the name Mua A Thi.

Village chief Mua A Thi (left cover) talks with people who escaped flash floods.

Early morning of August 1, in the midst of the pouring rain in the forest, the head of Han Pu Xi village (Xa Dung commune) Mua A Thi got up and went out to dig a drainage ditch around his house, but he had a bad feeling about something coming from the mountain. At nearly 3 o'clock, he called the residential area on the other side of the stream, a woman answered but her voice was panicked: "There's a landslide."

In the spring, A Thi immediately called each household, requesting immediate evacuation. He emphasized each sentence: “Leave your property behind, and you must live. A lost house can be rebuilt, but a lost person is gone.” The road had collapsed, and it was impossible to cross quickly. He ran to the stream bank and called on the households to move. When he arrived, most of the people had already crossed to the other side as instructed. However, there were still 10 households taking shelter in an area where the rocks and soil could collapse at any moment. A Thi shouted and urged them to run urgently. In the group, there were 3 old people who refused to leave their homes. He mobilized 4 strong young men to wade across and carry each old person out of the danger zone.

By 4:20 a.m., all 21 households with 90 people had gathered on high, safe ground. Just over 30 minutes later, at around 5 a.m., a terrifying “bang bang” sound rang out upstream. The flash flood brought down soil, rocks, and forest trees, flattening part of Han Pu Xi village. 17 households lost their homes and property, and 5 other houses were buried deep in mud and rocks.

Having narrowly escaped, the villagers were shocked to see the scene of devastation. Although 90 people survived, tragedy still struck the village of Han Pu Xi. The children, MAD (14 years old) and MAG (12 years old), were sleeping in a house without adults and were buried under rocks and soil. It was not until the morning of August 2 that the authorities found their bodies lying next to each other in the rubble, covered with mud and rocks.

ANGEL

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/cuoc-goi-cua-truong-ban-cuu-90-nguoi-post806737.html