According to a report from Nam Hoa Commune to the Department of Dyke Management and Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, a sludge reservoir of the Iron and Steel Smelting Plant under Thai Nguyen Black Metallurgy Joint Stock Company has recently ruptured.
About five meters of the reservoir’s embankment collapsed, sending sludge through acacia plantations and residential areas before pooling in Ao Sen Lake in Doan Ket Hamlet. The eight-meter-wide earthen dam of Ao Sen Lake also gave way, flooding nearby fields and damaging crops.
Vice Chairman of the Nam Hoa Commune People’s Committee Kieu Xuan Thinh said the reservoir had since drained completely, with no further sludge outflow detected.
Local authorities have evacuated residents from high-risk zones, deployed emergency teams to repair damage, provided essential supplies to isolated households, and coordinated with environmental agencies to assess potential contamination. Thai Nguyen Black Metallurgy Company has temporarily suspended reservoir operations for restoration and safety assurance.
