Land subsidence sank part of a roadway into the Ba Rai River in Tien Giang Province, located in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta region, in the early hours of Monday, confirmed a local official.

The road section battered by the subsidence measured around 20 meters long and some five meters wide, said Le Van Thon, vice-chairman of the People’s Committee of Hoi Xuan Commune in the province’s Cai Lay District, where the incident took place at around 2:00 am.

The land collapse disrupted vehicular movement among local residents, especially when it is harvest time for picking fruits.

Notified of the subsidence, the Hoi Xuan administration visited the site of the incident for an inspection and put up warning signs to prevent local commuters from encountering the out-of-service road.

The local administration also set up a makeshift roadway to meet the travel demands of local residents, while waiting for local forces to cope with the aftermath of the subsidence.

Thon attributed the land collapse to changes in the water flow of the river.

Land subsidence could increasingly occur along the river when tides rise further, he said.

Previously, Hoi Xuan reported two locations seriously hit by land collapse along the Ba Rai River.

One instance wreaked havoc on a 50-meter-long road section, hampering traffic movement and trading activities of local residents.

Data from the Hoi Xuan administration also revealed that land subsidence affecting three locations in the commune in the year to date has caused damages worth billions of dong. (VND1 billion = US$42,270).

According to the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, around VND47 billion ($1.9 million) is required to cope with 34 erosion-hit locations in Cai Be, Cai Lay, and Chau Thanh Districts, with more than 8.8 kilometers of roads affected.​

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