Aug 23, 2010

Hmong: Landslides In Laos Destroy Houses Leaving Many Missing


Heavy rains causing landslides have devastated Hmong villages in the Mu Cang Chai district leaving many Hmong people missing.

 

Below is an article published by The Sydney Morning Herald:

Seven people are missing after a landslide buried them in mountainous northern Vietnam, state media reported on Monday [23 August 2010].

The landslide destroyed five houses on Sunday in a village of Mu Cang Chai district, Yen Bai province, the Vietnam News said.

All of the victims were ethnic Hmong, it said, citing a local government department. Officials in the remote area could not be immediately reached by AFP.

News reports said the landslide happened during clear weather, but there have been warnings of landslides during the current rainy season.

State media last week reported that almost 350,000 Vietnamese households need to be relocated over the next five years from areas vulnerable to flash floods and landslides.