Man loses 5 family members to landslide, holds funerals next to buffalo shed in northern Vietnam
Wednesday, September 18, 2024, 21:22 GMT+7
Sung A Giang, a resident in Lao Cai Province, northern Vietnam, lost his grandfather, parents, and two children to a landslide in the wee hours on September 9.
When super typhoon Yagi touched down Phin Chai 2, a village in Lao Cai Province, Giang and his wife worked in Hai Duong Province and could not contact their family.
During the storm, Hai Duong also experienced power and mobile network blackouts; but when the power resumed, he grew worried when he could still not contact his parents.
A neighbor then informed the couple of the incident where his grandfather, parents, and two children were buried in a landslide on September 9.
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| It took rescuers four days to find the bodies of all seven missing victims in the incident. Photo: Supplied |
Immediately, the couple attempted to return by catching a coach to Lao Cai, but the roads were still badly damaged, so they had to walk from Trinh Tuong Commune, Bat Xat District -- over 40 kilometers from their home.
The couple reached their village a day later and were taken in by their community to begin grieving. Local authorities, rescuers, and residents found all the victims by September 13.
A local official suggested the couple live at a house a half-hour drive away, but Giang insists on living in his village.
The couple and the husband's sister, who at the time of the landslide was studying at a school 80 kilometers outside of Lao Cai, are living temporarily in a neighbor’s buffalo shed. This is the most sturdy and reliable structure at this time.
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| The scene of the landslide that buried four houses and seven people in Phin Chai 2 Village, A Lu Commune, Bat Xat District, Lao Cai Province, northern Vietnam. Photo: Supplied |
They have been joined by cousins from other areas and begun to mourn for their five family members.
Giang said living in the buffalo shed was not a problem, he just needed a place to stay away from rains and landslides.
He will not return to Hai Duong and plans to stay in his hometown assuming full-time responsibility for his younger sister, Giang said.
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| Sung A Giang and his wife receive support from neighbors and border guards in Lao Cai Province, northern Vietnam. Photo: Vu Tuan / Tuoi Tre |
Residents in Phin Chai 2 have never witnessed such a tragic situation.
They have spread out a heavy-duty tarp and two sleeping mats to make it a temporary accommodation for Giang, his wife, and younger sister.
A box of instant noodles and generous donations of clothes are hung in the shed.
Lu A Sinh, secretary of the Party Committee in A Lu Commune, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that the commune had proposed arranging safe accommodations for residents.
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| The way to A Lu Commune, Bat Xat District, Lao Cai Province is seriously eroded. Photo: Supplied |
Super typhoon Yagi, along with the subsequent floods and landslides, has devastated numerous areas, injuring thousands, and causing over 350 people to die or go missing.
The storm struck northern Vietnam on September 7, according to the Vietnam Disaster and Dyke Management Authority under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
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