Police in Muong Than Commune, Lai Chau Province, said on July 18 that the bodies of four people who were swept away by flash floods a day earlier had been recovered.
Police rescue victims (Photo: Lai Chau Police).
The victims were found buried beneath mud, rocks and fallen trees at locations ranging from several hundred metres to about one kilometre from their homes.
Authorities identified three of the victims as Ban Thi Lai, born in 2016, from Nam Sang Village; Pham Thi Lien, born in 1994; and Pham Xuan Truong, born in 2018, both from Chit Village. The identity of the fourth victim has not yet been confirmed.
At around 8 am on July 17, a flash flood struck Muong Than Commune, sweeping through several villages and sections of National Highway 32. The flooding washed away dozens of homes, damaged crops and property, and left multiple people missing.
Earlier that morning, emergency responders and local residents rescued Lo Van Chai, born in 1993, and Nguyen Thanh Hai, born in 1991, both from Chit Village. The pair had been carried more than one kilometre downstream before managing to cling to debris and becoming stranded in the fast-flowing waters of the Nam Vai Stream.
Hundreds of police officers and soldiers from Lai Chau Province were deployed to the disaster area, racing to evacuate residents and their belongings, rescue those trapped by floodwaters and search for missing people.
Search teams remain at the scene looking for additional victims while continuing to help residents recover property, clear damaged homes and reopen roads blocked by flood debris.