Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang visited the scene to inspect and direct the overcoming of the consequences of the serious landslide in Lam Dong.

Phó Thủ tướng Trần Lưu Quang đến hiện trường kiểm tra, chỉ đạo khắc phục hậu quả vụ sạt lở nghiêm trọng tại Lâm Đồng - Ảnh 1. — The Government delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang inspected and directed the response and recovery work caused by floods and landslides at Bao Loc Pass, Lam Dong - Photo: VGP/Hai Minh

Also attending were comrades: Tran Duc Quan, Secretary of Lam Dong Provincial Party Committee; Tran Van Hiep, Chairman of Lam Dong Provincial People's Committee; Nguyen Ngoc Phuc, Vice Chairman of Lam Dong Provincial People's Committee and leaders of departments, branches, districts, cities...

Reporting to the Deputy Prime Minister , the leader of Lam Dong province said: The landslide occurred at around 2:30 p.m. on July 30 on Bao Loc pass in Da M'ri town (Da Huoai district) bordering Dai Lao commune (Bao Loc city), causing a large amount of soil and rock to collapse and completely bury the Traffic Police checkpoint on Bao Loc pass, burying 3 officers and soldiers on duty and 1 civilian. Up to now, the bodies of 3 officers and soldiers have been found and efforts are being made to search for the remaining missing victims.

The landslide also completely cut off traffic on Bao Loc pass and has not yet been restored.

Phó Thủ tướng Trần Lưu Quang đến hiện trường kiểm tra, chỉ đạo khắc phục hậu quả vụ sạt lở nghiêm trọng tại Lâm Đồng - Ảnh 2. — Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang visits comrade Le Van Sang - Photo: VGP/Hai Minh

After inspecting the scene, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang visited, expressed condolences and comforted the family of Senior Lieutenant Le Van Sang (residing in Ward 2, Bao Loc City), one of three officers and soldiers who died in the landslide while on duty.

Phó Thủ tướng Trần Lưu Quang đến hiện trường kiểm tra, chỉ đạo khắc phục hậu quả vụ sạt lở nghiêm trọng tại Lâm Đồng - Ảnh 3. — Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang expressed his condolences to the family of comrade Le Van Sang - Photo: VGP/Hai Minh

Next, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang worked with leaders of Lam Dong province to direct the work of overcoming the consequences of the serious landslide that occurred on Bao Loc pass.

Speaking at the meeting, leaders and representatives of the Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and Ministry of Transport highly appreciated Lam Dong province for quickly mobilizing forces to the scene to carry out rescue work and traffic control.

Thanks to that, the bodies of 3 officers and soldiers who died have been found and efforts are being made to find the remaining missing victims.

However, it is forecasted that in the next 3 days, this area will continue to have rain with an amount of about 150mm along with a large amount of landslides, so rescue work will still face many difficulties.

The ministries all share the same view that the province must conduct a comprehensive survey of potential landslide risk areas and resolutely relocate households, offices, and schools out of dangerous areas.

Phó Thủ tướng Trần Lưu Quang đến hiện trường kiểm tra, chỉ đạo khắc phục hậu quả vụ sạt lở nghiêm trọng tại Lâm Đồng - Ảnh 4. — Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang works with leaders of Lam Dong province to direct the work of overcoming the consequences of the serious landslide that occurred on Bao Loc pass. Photo: VGP/Hai Minh

Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang emphasized that recent reality shows that the level of damage caused by natural disasters is becoming increasingly serious due to climate change developing faster than forecast and being difficult to predict. This is an abnormal signal, so the Deputy Prime Minister requested that all localities absolutely must not be negligent or lose vigilance.

Even in Lam Dong province, there has never been a record of continuous, prolonged heavy rain like this time, along with weak ground, causing landslides and especially serious construction landslides such as in Da Lat and Bao Loc cities, causing great damage to life and property.

On behalf of the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister acknowledged and highly appreciated Lam Dong province for quickly taking action, demonstrating a high sense of responsibility by quickly mobilizing functional forces to the scene to carry out search, rescue and traffic diversion work, and said that this is a valuable experience not only for Lam Dong but also for other localities.

In the immediate future, the Deputy Prime Minister requested that in the work of overcoming the consequences, "absolutely no incidents must occur" and "absolute safety must be ensured" for the functional forces because this is a narrow area with a large concentration of people and according to the Deputy Prime Minister's observation, landslides may continue to occur due to rain at the scene.

The Deputy Prime Minister also requested Lam Dong province to control information, so that information released to the public must be correct and accurate, avoiding causing confusion among the public.

Phó Thủ tướng Trần Lưu Quang đến hiện trường kiểm tra, chỉ đạo khắc phục hậu quả vụ sạt lở nghiêm trọng tại Lâm Đồng - Ảnh 5.

Expressing condolences for the victims' sacrifice, the Deputy Prime Minister said that by tomorrow morning at the latest, there will be a Certificate of Merit for the fallen soldiers.

Along with the rescue work at the scene, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang requested Lam Dong province to focus on reviewing all other landslide-prone areas to have immediate solutions, especially evacuating households, absolutely not allowing any human losses.

The Deputy Prime Minister assigned the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (the standing agency of the National Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control) to advise the Prime Minister to issue a general directive on risk warning and response during this year's storm season.

In the long term, the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that in the future, we will have to live with climate change, so socio-economic development programs and plans need to integrate climate change response content, especially in transport projects.

At the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang acknowledged the recommendations of Lam Dong province and assigned relevant ministries and branches to synthesize and report to the Prime Minister.

Prime Minister's telegram directing to overcome the consequences of landslide at Bao Loc pass

Previously, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang signed and issued Official Dispatch No. 691/CD-TTg of the Prime Minister on focusing on overcoming the consequences of landslides at Bao Loc Pass, Lam Dong Province and proactively responding to heavy rains in the Central Highlands and Southern provinces.

Telegram sent to the National Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control; National Committee for Natural Disaster Response and Search and Rescue; Ministries: Agriculture and Rural Development, Natural Resources and Environment, Transport, Industry and Trade, National Defense, Public Security; Chairmen of the People's Committees of the provinces: Lam Dong, Gia Lai, Kon Tum, Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan, Binh Phuoc, Dong Nai, Tay Ninh, Binh Duong.

The dispatch stated: In recent days, in some localities in the Southern and Central Highlands regions, there have been heavy rains, landslides, and localized flooding, greatly affecting traffic and people's lives; especially on July 30, 2023, on National Highway 20 through Bao Loc Pass (Lam Dong Province), a landslide occurred, burying 03 traffic police officers and 01 civilian. The Prime Minister sends his deepest condolences to the families of the victims.

According to the warning of the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, rain in the Central Highlands and the South is likely to last for many days to come.

To overcome the consequences of the above landslide and proactively prevent and combat natural disasters, ensuring the safety of people's lives, the Prime Minister requested the National Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control and the National Committee for Incident Response, Natural Disasters and Search and Rescue, Ministers, Chairmen of Provincial People's Committees to proactively direct and deploy drastic, timely and effective work on preventing, combating and overcoming the consequences of natural disasters, continue to seriously implement Official Dispatch No. 607/CD-TTg dated July 1, 2023 of the Prime Minister on proactively preventing and combating landslides, ensuring the safety of people's lives and property before and during the rainy and flood season, focusing on the following specific tasks:

Firstly, the People's Committees of the provinces proactively directed and implemented the work of overcoming the consequences of the recent natural disasters and heavy rains, ensuring the stability of people's lives and activities, especially in the provinces of Lam Dong, Binh Thuan, Binh Phuoc, and Kien Giang.

The Chairman of Lam Dong Provincial People's Committee shall promptly overcome the consequences of the above-mentioned landslide, urgently search for and rescue missing people, visit, encourage and support families with victims; coordinate with competent agencies to implement policies and regimes for police officers and soldiers who were victims according to regulations; direct the assessment, determine specific causes and draw lessons from the landslide incident; inspect, review, detect and promptly handle areas at risk of landslides, and have proactive plans to ensure traffic safety on National Highway 20 and main traffic routes in the province.

Second, the Ministry of Transport coordinates with localities, especially the People's Committee of Lam Dong province, to direct and mobilize forces and means to urgently handle and immediately overcome landslides and deep flooding, promptly detect areas at risk of landslides and flooding to have specific measures to ensure traffic safety on national highways and main traffic routes, especially the Dau Giay - Phan Thiet expressway and National Highway 20 in Lam Dong province.

Third, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment monitors, supervises, and improves the quality of forecasting and warning of natural disasters, especially floods and landslides, and promptly provides information on weather, natural disasters, and landslide risks to serve response work.

Fourth, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Industry and Trade direct, inspect, and urge the work of ensuring safety for reservoirs, irrigation dams, and hydroelectric projects according to their assigned state management functions.

Fifth, the National Committee for Incident, Disaster Response and Search and Rescue and the Ministries of National Defense and Public Security closely monitor the situation of natural disasters and incidents, proactively direct and coordinate with ministries, branches and localities to deploy response, search and rescue work, ensuring timeliness and effectiveness.

Sixth, the National Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control closely monitors the natural disaster situation, proactively directs, inspects, and urges localities to deploy prevention, control, overcome consequences, and limit damage caused by natural disasters./.

Source