Barehanded digging through mud to find buried compatriots in Nam Luc, Lao Cai

Rescuers had only hoes, shovels and dug through mud with their bare hands to search for victims buried in the horrific landslide in Nam Luc commune, Bac Ha district, Lao Cai .

Forces are using every means to speed up the search for victims, even using their bare hands, after a landslide left 15 people missing in Nam Luc, Lao Cai - Photo: VU TUAN

As reported by Tuoi Tre Online , on September 10, a serious landslide occurred in Nam Luc commune (Bac Ha, Lao Cai), causing damage to people and property in Nam Tong village, leaving many people dead and missing.

Bare hands scoop mud and blood

According to official information at the scene, by 12 noon on September 13, the third day of search and rescue, the rescue team had found 10 bodies of victims , 8 people were still missing. Currently, 13 injured people are being treated.

At the scene of devastation, mud, rocks mixed with house pillars, and people's belongings, hundreds of police and army soldiers continued to dig up mud and clear rocks, hoping to find missing victims.

People in Cai Cao village (Nam Tong hamlet, Nam Luc commune) said that people here built their houses next to a very deep stream. From the lowest house floor to the water level was more than a pole high. However, the entire stream, which was as deep as the pole's end, had turned into a muddy field.

Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Duc Cuong - Deputy Chief of Bac Ha District Police ( Lao Cai ) - said the biggest difficulty in the search was the complex terrain. The volume of earth and rock was too large, but the rescue team had to use human power to search because they were still unable to bring machinery to the scene due to the landslides and the road was full of ravines and slopes.

Hundreds of people circled the areas where they suspected their people were buried, marked them, and then dug up each section to search. Whenever there was a sign of mud mixed with blood, they marked it, and the soldiers had to use their hands to pry up rocks, scoop up mud, and carefully clean up to avoid affecting the victims.

On the morning of September 13, rescuers found the body of a baby and handed it over to the family for burial.

“We used every means, every measure, the police, the army and even the volunteer search and rescue force of Ho Chi Minh City also helped. But with this amount of earth and rock, doing it manually is quite difficult. We need a system of professional machinery such as excavators, diggers, and detection equipment,” said Major Nguyen Duc Cuong.

Major Vu Minh Tuan - Deputy Chief of Staff of the Capital Mobile Police Regiment, Mobile Police Command - added that the key locations are at high risk of landslides , posing a danger to rescue forces. Because the area is mainly sandy soil, the terrain is strongly fragmented, and the slope is steep.

Over the past few days, rainwater has accumulated in the soil, creating a risk of landslides over large areas: "The weather in this area often rains in the middle of the night and early morning, so the soil structure is very weak in the morning. There is a high risk of landslides at some key points in this area."

Rescue forces encountered difficulties in searching for people buried in Nam Luc, Lao Cai - Photo: VU TUAN

The only way to the scene is over a very steep mountain.

From the landslide site to the gathering place, the rescue team camp is about two kilometers. Hundreds of officers and soldiers had to stretch tarps and use corrugated iron sheets as temporary sleeping places.

Early morning of September 13, it rained heavily, water leaked everywhere so the soldiers sat leaning against each other to avoid the rain, their clothes and belongings were all wet.

Major Nguyen Duc Cuong said that due to the fragmented terrain, the only way to the scene was along a trail, over very steep mountains. Therefore, logistics, food, drinking water, and domestic water were in short supply.

The Nam Luc commune authorities mobilized dozens of people to transport water, necessities, and food to the rescue team. However, the journey across the mountain took more than three hours. Each trip could only carry a barrel of water, a bowl of rice, or a basket of dry food, milk, and bread.

Even the strongest mountain climbers could only deliver one load at a time. Many bags of rice were soaked in sweat and partially spoiled by the time they arrived.

Therefore, according to Major Cuong, it is necessary to quickly fix landslides to bring machinery to the scene, transfer food, and take care of logistics for rescue forces.

Tuoitre.vn

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tay-khong-boi-bun-tim-dong-bao-bi-vui-lap-o-nam-luc-lao-cai-20240913204007139.htm#content-1