On November 19, Mr. Dinh Truong Giang - Secretary of the Party Committee of Son Tay Commune (Quang Ngai) - said that the authorities had organized an emergency evacuation of 400 students and teachers at Son Long Primary and Secondary Boarding School for Ethnic Minorities (Son Tay Commune, Quang Ngai) due to the threat of landslides. The locality continues to closely monitor and respond because the risk of landslides is still very high.
According to Mr. Giang, at around 7:00 a.m. on November 18, a large landslide occurred in the positive slope behind the boarding house and the teacher's official residence. About 50 m3 of rock and soil suddenly fell on the eastern area of the 2-storey building with 10 rooms (5 boarding rooms for students and 5 rooms for teachers).
Previously, on October 29, a large landslide occurred at this location, with rocks and soil overflowing into a 2-storey house including a row of classrooms and a boarding house. Immediately after the incident, the Son Tay commune authorities organized a crime scene inspection and recorded that the positive slope behind the school continued to have many long cracks, showing signs of movement.
The new cracks increase the risk of recurring landslides, especially in the context of prolonged heavy rain. Mr. Nguyen Van Hung - Principal of the school - said that the school has proactively moved all classes in the 2-storey building to the department room and the file room so that teaching and learning are not interrupted. "Students are arranged interspersed in level 4 rooms, while teachers are temporarily residing in the administrative area and the headquarters of the People's Committee of the old Son Long commune," said Mr. Hung.
At the same time, the school coordinated with the People's Committee of Son Tay commune to mobilize forces to clear rocks and soil, clear drainage ditches to reduce water pressure on the slope and limit further landslides. Currently, landslide monitoring and warning work is being maintained 24/7. Local authorities said that if heavy rain continues, the positive slope behind the school could continue to slide, directly threatening the functional area and the learning area.
Son Tay commune proposed that the People's Committee of Quang Ngai province soon allocate funds to build a solid anti-landslide embankment system to protect schools and ensure the safety of more than 400 students and teachers studying and working here.
