Life and death moment: Village chief saves 90 people in the night of terrifying flash flood

Talking to Knowledge and Life, Mua A Thi, a 26-year-old man, Head of Hang Pu Xi village (Xa Dung commune, Dien Bien province) is still filled with emotion when recalling the terrifying night that took away the homes of his people and two young lives. In that disaster, he was mentioned as a hero, who used his determination and courage to save 90 lives from the hands of death.

Village Chief Mua A Thi. Photo: Diep Chi.

"Save people first, save property later!"

Early morning of August 1, Hang Pu Xi village was submerged in a blanket of white rain. The roaring sound of water from upstream echoed, mixed with the rushing sound of rocks and trees falling down. In the wooden house on the high hill, Village Chief Mua A Thi tossed and turned, unable to sleep. His intuition told him that something bad was happening.

“It was raining so hard that I went out to dig a drainage ditch for my house. Suddenly, I heard a strange noise coming from the mountain,” Thi recounted. Without hesitation, he immediately called the other side of the stream – where many households were living in the danger zone.

On the other end of the line, a woman’s voice choked with tears: “The landslide has begun…”. Before she could say more, Mr. Thi interrupted, his voice resolute and firm: “Leave everything behind, grab your child and run to a safe place. If you lose something, you will be left with nothing!”

The road to that area was blocked by rocks and soil. Knowing that he could not get there in time, he mobilized the village youths to stand on this side of the stream and shout continuously, urging people to evacuate. By 3:30, most of the households had gathered at a safe high point.

But through the weak flashlight, he discovered that there were still about 10 households taking shelter in a very dangerous position. Without hesitation, he immediately ordered the four strongest young men to cross the raging stream, and by all means, carry, and help the three old people and the others move.

At 4:20 a.m., all 21 households with 90 people were brought to safety. Only 40 minutes later, a terrible explosion sounded as if it was tearing the night apart. The huge flood from upstream swept away everything in its path – houses, gardens, properties… all that remained was a pile of rubble. If it had been a little slower, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

The poor boy shouldered both the family and the work.

The hero of Hang Pu Xi village is only 26 years old this year. His traditional wooden house, with its earthen foundation, is located about 1km from the landslide site and is home to 11 people. His family includes his parents, his wife, his children, his youngest brother and the nephew left behind by his cousin.

After finishing grade 12, Mua A Thi had to put aside his dream of going to university because of his family's difficult circumstances. He is the second son in a family of 8 siblings. Unfortunately, his eldest sister passed away early, so the family's financial burden fell largely on the young man's shoulders.

“My parents are still young, my father is 53 years old, my mother is 52 years old, but they have a lot of children, they have worked hard. Now I don’t let them work anymore, they just stay home to look after the children and the house,” Thi shared.

To feed 11 mouths, he and his wife have to work in the fields all year round. In addition to taking care of his own family, he also takes care of a nephew, the child of his cousin whose parents are divorced. Food is enough for now, but the children are lacking in clothing and other living expenses.

Village chief Mua A Thi talks with villagers. Photo: Diep Chi.

In the village, Mua A Thi is famous for being a kind person, always willing to help the villagers. Whenever he finishes his farming work, he goes around the village, looking for houses that are still harvesting, then helps without receiving a penny for his work. If any family is short of rice, he is willing to share. Therefore, everyone in the village loves and trusts Thi.

When the old village chief, his uncle, retired due to old age and illiteracy, the entire village unanimously trusted and elected Thi as village chief when he was only 23 years old. They believed that "handing over the village to Thi is a peace of mind".

With an allowance of more than 2.9 million VND per month, the young village chief has a lot of work to do, from resolving disputes over fields, setting up mediation teams, to managing and protecting forests. During the dry season, he goes from house to house reminding people not to burn fields to prevent forest fires and landslides.

"I hope everyone will soon have a safe home."

Thanks to his timely and wise actions, Mua A Thi saved 90 people. In recognition of this noble act, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh sent a letter of commendation.

“I am very happy, but the happiest thing is saving my people. I just think, without the people, there is no me. If the people trust me, I must put them first, save them, help them. Helping people is the greatest responsibility. I am just fulfilling my responsibility,” he shared.

The Prime Minister shares the loss of life and property of the people of Dien Bien when the flood swept through.

Although most of the villagers were rescued, Hang Pu Xi village still suffered a heartbreaking loss. Two children, MAD (14 years old) and MAG (12 years old), because there were no adults at home and they were fast asleep, were unable to escape and were buried by the landslide.

This is also Mua A Thi’s biggest regret. He still blames himself for not being able to arrive sooner. “I live far away and had to run so I couldn’t make it in time. The two children’s situation is very pitiful, their parents work far away, and only their disabled brother is at home. If there were adults at home, if I lived closer or could ride a motorbike, I believe there is a 60-70% chance that I could save the two children. I still blame myself… why couldn’t I have arrived sooner, faster,” he choked.

Currently, the villagers are receiving help from the police and army to overcome the consequences and have built tents to live in temporarily. When asked about the secret to gaining the trust of the villagers, Mr. Thi humbly said that perhaps it was because he had always devoted himself to the villagers.

The young village chief's biggest wish at this time is for people to soon have stable homes so they have time and energy to overcome the heavy damage to crops. "First of all, I just hope everyone has a safe home," said Mr. Mua A Thi.

On August 3, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh directed the Ministry of Home Affairs and the People's Committee of Dien Bien province to report immediately on August 4 and submit to competent authorities to commend the brave, decisive, and responsible actions of Chief of Mua A Thi village, who saved 90 people of Hang Pu Xi village, Xa Dung commune, Dien Bien province from the disaster of flash floods and landslides.

“On behalf of the Government, the Prime Minister commends and honors the extremely brave, decisive, and wise actions for the lives of compatriots, with a very high sense of responsibility, love, and "national love and compatriotism" of grassroots cadre Mua A Thi,” the Prime Minister's letter to the head of Thi village wrote.

Source: https://khoahocdoisong.vn/khoanh-khac-sinh-tu-truong-ban-cuu-90-nguoi-trong-dem-lu-quet-kinh-hoang-post2149043899.html