According to a report from local authorities, the landslide occurred during heavy rain at 2 am when a large amount of soil from a hill fell onto the wooden house of Nong Van Cha in Nghien Loan Commune, Pac Nam District.
Five people were sleeping inside the house at that time," the report said. "However, only Cha's 17-year-old niece managed to escape. Cha, 41, his 43-year-old wife, their 18-year-old daughter-in-law, and their newborn grandchild were all then found dead in the debris."
Over the past three days, the area has experienced heavy rains in the afternoons and evenings, causing soil on the five-metre-tall hill to come loose and fall.
Statistics showed that Pac Nam District received nearly 90 mm of rainfall between 10 pm on June 17 and 4 am on June 18.
