Having lost five family members, a father in Nu Village hopes to find his children to bury them.

For the past four days, 32-year-old Hoang Van Thoi, the sole survivor of a family of six in Nu Village, has barely eaten or slept as he searches for his relatives. His only hope is to find his youngest child so he can bury him.

Sitting listlessly in the cultural center of Lang Nu village (Phuc Khanh commune, Bao Yen district) - where Lao Cai province has established a search and rescue command center - Hoang Van Thoi seemed unconcerned about the events unfolding before him.

Hoang Van Thoi, 32 years old, is the sole survivor of a family of six.

PHOTO: DINH HUY

The man, small in stature and with dark, tanned skin, seemed to have lost a lot of weight after the immense shock. For the past five days, he hadn't been able to eat or drink anything, despite running around everywhere, following rescue teams in the hope of finding all his family members. On the evening of September 9th, a landslide occurred behind his house due to prolonged heavy rain. The village head advised him to move his family to a safer place. Mr. Thoi took five family members—his mother, wife, and children—to his sister-in-law's house for temporary shelter to avoid the landslide, while he returned home to look after his house.

Mr. Thoi never imagined that the meal on September 9th would be the last one he would share with his wife and children. Around 5:30 a.m. on September 10th, he saw heavy rain, then a very loud explosion, and water and rocks from the hillside cascaded down. He wanted to run to his sister-in-law's house to find his mother and wife and children, but it was too late. To this day, this man still blames himself for not being able to save his family... "The water and rocks slid down so quickly, there was nothing we could do," Mr. Thoi recounted. After the incident, he and other survivors in the village, along with rescue forces, searched everywhere. After three days of searching, they successively found the bodies of his mother, then his wife and three older children, but the youngest child was still missing. He had to personally bury his mother, wife, and children one by one. "My mother, wife, and children are all gone. My house is gone. I have nothing left, I only hope to find my youngest child to bury," Mr. Thoi said, his eyes welling up with tears.

Proposal for resettlement of the people of Nu Village.

With teary eyes, Mrs. Hoang Thi Bong (47 years old) said that she and her children went to work as laborers in Yen Bai City to pay off debts for building their house, while her husband stayed in Lang Nu to work in the fields. After years of hard work, saving, and borrowing, the couple finally built a decent new house to live in. But not long after, the flood swept away everything, from the newly built house to her husband. Shocked by the tragic news, she and her children rushed back to Lang Nu, but to this day, her husband's body has not been found.

Mrs. Hoang Thi Bong anxiously awaits news of her missing husband.

PHOTO: DINH HUY

According to the head of Lang Nu village, Hoang Van Diep, out of 37 households in the village, two suffered complete destruction. In one case, Mr. Nguyen Van Dong's family lost both parents and two children. Mr. Nguyen Van Tran's family, consisting only of himself and his wife, also lost both. In some families of seven, five died, leaving only two survivors. In another family of four, both parents perished, leaving only two children. Mr. Diep also stated that after the flash flood, the villagers received adequate food and clothing from the local authorities, and assistance was provided for the funerals of the victims. However, the survivors in Lang Nu village are facing immense loss and grief. They urgently need help to stabilize their lives and return to normalcy. As of 9 am this morning, rescue forces have found the bodies of three more missing victims, bringing the total number of deaths to 51. Currently, 33 people remain missing. This morning, the Standing Committee of the Bao Yen District People's Committee also held a meeting to gather opinions from residents of Lang Nu village regarding the location of the resettlement area; the plan for arranging and relocating residents; the construction of housing architecture; and the organization of production... Mr. Tran Trong Thong, Chairman of the Bao Yen District People's Committee, said that the district will request the higher authorities to provide full support to households affected by the natural disaster; ensuring a convenient transportation system, a safe location for the residential area, and the best possible living conditions. According to the plan that has been discussed with the residents, the proposed resettlement site for the people of Lang Nu village is 1.5 km from the village cultural center, towards the center of the commune.

Thanhnien.vn

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/mat-het-5-nguoi-than-nguoi-cha-tai-lang-nu-mong-tim-duoc-con-de-chon-cat-185240914145301517.htm