The disaster has claimed five lives, left three people missing and injured 10 others, while destroying or damaging hundreds of homes and devastating nearly 700 hectares of farmland across several Northern provinces.
On July 19, authorities in Lai Chau Province, together with local residents, continued cleanup efforts in Muong Than Commune, the area hardest hit by recent flash floods. Emergency crews and volunteers cleared debris from homes and sanitized the environment, while local authorities arranged temporary accommodation and ensured supplies of food and clean water for affected families.
Excavators were deployed to remove timber, mud, rocks and debris that had blocked National Highway 32 through Muong Than Commune, with the goal of reopening the route as quickly as possible.
The Lai Chau Provincial People's Committee issued an emergency construction order, assigning the provincial Military Command to rapidly build temporary housing for displaced residents, particularly for about 60 households that can no longer return to their homes due to the ongoing risk of landslides.
Ha Quang Trung, Chairman of the Lai Chau Provincial People's Committee, said that the province would concentrate resources on providing shelter, food, clean water and transportation while helping disaster-hit communities stabilize their lives as soon as possible.
The same day, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Nguyen Hoang Hiep led a working delegation to inspect the disaster site, visit affected residents and encourage rescue and recovery forces participating in relief operations in Muong Than Commune.
The deputy minister urged Lai Chau authorities to continue searching for missing victims while ensuring residents' livelihoods and accelerating the restoration of transportation, electricity, water supply and schools.
According to the Department of Dyke Management and Natural Disaster Prevention and Control under the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, recent heavy rains and flooding in Lai Chau, Lao Cai, Dien Bien and Son La provinces have left five people dead, three missing and 10 injured, all of the casualties occurring in Lai Chau Province.
The disaster also destroyed 28 houses, damaged 307 others, and affected another 191 homes due to flooding and landslides. Nearly 700 hectares of rice fields and other crops were also damaged.
