On October 25, Mr. Tho Ba Re, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Ky Son district (Nghe An), said that people in Xop Phe village had just discovered a large crack across the hill in Xop Phe village, Muong Tip commune (Ky Son district).

Previously, on the evening of October 22, people in Xop Phe village were startled by a loud explosion on the hillside next to Provincial Road 445.

Immediately afterwards, people checked and discovered some cracks 10cm wide, about 40cm deep, and more than 100m long running through the floors of the houses, so they reported it to the authorities.

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The crack is hundreds of meters long, running through the floor of a resident's house. Photo: Ky Son District Police

Upon receiving the news, the authorities of Ky Son district went to the scene to inspect and assessed this as a very serious incident, with a potential risk of landslides.

Dozens of police officers , border guards, and militiamen have coordinated with local authorities to urgently evacuate five households with 26 people living at the foot of the mountain. There are currently two houses that have not been demolished yet, expected to be completed in the next few days.

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Authorities dismantled houses and relocated 5 households to a safe location. Photo: Nghe An Provincial Border Guard
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Moving assets to a safe location. Photo: Nghe An Provincial Border Guard

Mr. Nguyen Xuan Truong, Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Ky Son district, said that the mountain cracks in Xop Phe village showed signs of spreading and deepening, so people could not return to their old places of residence. The district assigned Muong Tip commune to arrange for affected households to live with other families, and in the coming time, they will review land in resettlement areas in the area to arrange new housing.

According to Mr. Truong, the government is assigning people to monitor and assess the extent of the landslide. If necessary, other households within the affected area will be evacuated.