Prime Minister directs to focus on overcoming landslide incident at hydropower construction site in Lai Chau

Authorities were present at the scene of the landslide.

Telegrams sent to the Minister of National Defense, Minister of Public Security ; Minister of Agriculture and Environment; Minister of Industry and Trade; Minister of Construction; Office of the National Civil Defense Steering Committee; Chairmen of the People's Committees of Lai Chau and Nghe An provinces.

According to a quick report from the standing agency for natural disaster prevention and control ( Ministry of Agriculture and Environment ), at 10:30 a.m. on May 16, 2025, at the construction site of the Ta Pao Ho 1A hydropower project, in Si Lo Lau commune, Phong Tho district, Lai Chau province, a landslide occurred. According to initial information, the landslide left 5 people missing and 4 people injured.

The Prime Minister sent his deepest condolences to the families of the victims; requested the Chairman of the People's Committee of Lai Chau province to continue to coordinate with the Chairman of the People's Committee of Nghe An province (the locality where citizens were missing and injured in the above incident) and leaders of relevant agencies to focus on directing and implementing search and rescue work, overcoming the consequences of the landslide with the most urgent and timely spirit, focusing on the following tasks:

1. The Chairman of Lai Chau Provincial People's Committee directly directs and mobilizes forces to focus on searching and rescuing the missing people (note that the safety of the forces participating in the search and rescue must be ensured); organizes free medical treatment for the injured; directs competent authorities to urgently coordinate the investigation, clearly identify the cause of the incident to promptly draw lessons in ensuring construction safety, and strictly handle the responsibilities of organizations and individuals (if there are violations) in accordance with the provisions of law.

2. The Chairmen of the People's Committees of Lai Chau and Nghe An provinces promptly direct, organize visits, encourage and immediately support families of victims in accordance with regulations; coordinate and support the families of victims to take care of funerals for those who died according to local customs.

3. The Minister of National Defense and the Minister of Public Security shall direct and mobilize necessary forces and means, coordinate with the People's Committee of Lai Chau province to urgently search for victims and quickly overcome the consequences of the landslide.

4. Minister of Agriculture and Environment:

a) Organize monitoring and timely forecasting of information on weather and natural disasters, especially heavy rain, landslide and flash flood risks so that local authorities, functional agencies and people can proactively prevent and avoid them.

b) Direct localities to review, update plans and proactively deploy natural disaster prevention and control work in accordance with the actual situation in the locality, promptly detect areas at risk of landslides and flash floods to proactively evacuate and relocate, ensuring the safety of people's lives.

5. Ministers of the Ministries of Industry and Trade, Construction, Agriculture and Environment, according to their assigned functions and tasks, shall proactively direct the implementation of work to ensure safety for construction activities, prevent and combat landslides, especially during the rainy and flood season in their assigned state management areas.

6. The Office of the National Civil Defense Steering Committee closely monitors developments, proactively coordinates, directs, and supports the Lai Chau Provincial People's Committee to promptly deploy search and rescue work according to assigned functions and tasks.

7. Assign Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha to directly direct relevant ministries, branches and localities to implement this telegram and continue to direct the implementation of natural disaster prevention, control, search and rescue work in accordance with the situation.

8. The Government Office, according to its assigned functions and tasks, shall monitor and urge the implementation of this Official Dispatch; promptly report to the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister in charge on urgent and arising issues.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/thu-tuong-chi-dao-tap-trung-khac-phuc-su-co-sat-lo-cong-truong-thi-cong-thuy-dien-tai-lai-chau-702515.html