The "death hole" is in the middle of the National Highway
It has been more than a week since the "death hole" appeared at Km80+050 on National Highway 3B, passing through Hiep Luc village, Kim Lu commune (Na Ri district, Bac Kan), but Mr. Chu Van Thuong's family and the people here are still shocked every time they mention it.
Mr. Thuong said that the incident happened on the morning of March 29, at that time, he was in the house when he suddenly heard a loud breeze. When he went out, he could not help but be scared when he saw a wide and deep hole, swallowing almost the entire road.
"At first, the hole was only a few meters wide, but after a few days it expanded to nearly 10 meters, swallowing up both lanes. At that time, we just thought the land was sinking normally, but unexpectedly it spread so quickly. Hundreds of blocks of rock and soil fell down the hole but were all sucked down. Below there is water, rocks and many caves" - Mr. Thuong said.
Not only affecting traffic, what makes Mr. Thuong and the people most concerned is the subsidence appearing in many other locations, especially near residential areas, directly threatening the lives and property of the people.
"On National Highway 3B, a few dozen meters from the cage, many large cracks have appeared, the road surface has sunk more than 6cm. This makes people feel insecure, especially during the rainy season when the risk of landslides and subsidence increases. Now I don't dare to go through this area because I'm scared, no one knows when the land will collapse" - Mr. Thuong shared.
Sharing the same sentiment, Mr. Trieu Van Ninh, who has a house near the mouth of the "death hole", cannot help but worry when the nearby cultivated land area also begins to show deep cracks and serious subsidence, affecting the ability to cultivate, threatening the lives and livelihoods of people in the area.
"Some areas of people's cultivated land have subsided, some have created deep holes, they are currently stretching warning ropes and have not been fixed yet. Currently, there are many subsidence points appearing right on people's rice fields" - Mr. Ninh said.
Urgently find response measures
National Highway 3B is 200km long, connecting the three provinces of Lang Son - Bac Kan - Tuyen Quang, playing an important role in connecting traffic between the northern mountainous areas. Immediately after the "death hole" appeared, the local authorities conducted zoning and put up warning ropes to ensure the safety of the people.
According to Mr. Luong Thanh Loc - Vice Chairman of Na Ri District People's Committee, as soon as the information was received, the unit quickly assessed the situation and identified about 21 households at risk of being directly affected by the incident.
"We have compiled statistics and made plans to relocate these households to safe places if the situation becomes serious" - Mr. Loc said.
In addition, to ensure the safety of people living near the sinkhole area, the Department of Construction of Bac Kan province has requested Na Ri district to propagate and warn people not to travel or graze cattle near the danger zone. At the same time, closely monitor the situation and have a relocation plan if necessary.
