In the late afternoon of May 19, in the area of Chen village, Ta Khoa commune, Son La province, a landslide occurred, soil and rocks spilled onto the road surface, causing danger to people and vehicles participating in traffic, according to VNA.
Initial information, at about 6 pm on the same day, heavy rain lasted for nearly 1 hour in Ta Khoa commune. This area has many high rocky hills and mountains, with a large slope, so when heavy rain occurred, soil and rocks slid down the road along a length of dozens of meters. In particular, there are large rocks more than 1m long.
At the time of the landslide, there were no people or vehicles passing by, and there were no residents living in this area, so there were no casualties or property damage.
Chairman of Ta Khoa Commune People's Committee Nguyen Xuan Hung said that in recent days, the locality has continuously experienced moderate to heavy rain, posing a risk of landslides, especially in high mountainous areas. The landslide on the afternoon of May 19 did not cause damage but made traffic difficult, especially for low-chassis cars.
The landslide point is located on National Highway 37, not under the management of the commune. Immediately after receiving the information, local leaders contacted functional units to mobilize people and vehicles to the scene to level soil and rocks, ensuring traffic safety.
According to Mr. Nguyen Xuan Hung, the risk of landslides in the area is still high. People and vehicles passing through the area need to pay attention to observation, follow the instructions of functional forces and limit movement when it rains heavily.
According to the Son La Provincial Hydrometeorological Station, from the afternoon of May 19, many communes and wards in the area experienced moderate to very heavy rain, with common rainfall from 30 - 67mm. The soil moisture model shows that some areas in the province have nearly saturated over 80% or reached a state of saturation.
Forecast for the next few hours, many places will continue to have rain with accumulated rainfall from 25 - 30mm, in some places over 50mm. Risk of flash floods on small rivers and streams in mountainous areas; landslides on slopes and land subsidence in many communes and wards.
Especially, from the night of May 19 to the afternoon of May 21, Son La province will have moderate rain, heavy rain and thunderstorms, locally very heavy rain with common rainfall from 40 - 100mm, in some places over 120mm.
Functional agencies warn that flash floods and landslides can cause traffic congestion, affect people's movement, and threaten civil works, production activities and cause flooding in low-lying and urban areas.
Heavy rain also makes many roads slippery and visibility limited. Vehicle drivers, especially when traveling through steep passes and sharp curves, need to reduce speed, observe from afar and drive in the correct lane to ensure safety.
