On the afternoon of December 15, Lao Dong Newspaper reporters were present at Muong Cong area - the place where 2 victims of the serious landslide occurred at Km124+300 National Highway 6 on December 14.
The spirit of mourning covered the entire village, the small houses were quiet, the sound of tears issuing from the two thatched roofs that had just lost pillars.
According to records, both victims were seasonal workers of Road 22 Company.
The house of Mr. Bui Van Cuong (born in 1973, victim) is hidden behind a small, empty alley. In the house, there are almost no valuable assets except for a few old household items.
Mr. Cuong has 2 children of school age. The oldest child has just entered the first year of the University of Transport, the youngest child is only in grade 10.
To have money to raise his children to study, he worked as a road maintenance worker, road sweepers, ditches, and drainage ditches along National Highway 6. As a seasonal worker, earning about 350,000 VND/day.
Quietly in front of the porch, Mr. Bui Van Linh (the victim's cousin) choked up: "Mr. Cuong is the pillar of the family. Now that he is gone, I don't know how they will study in the future, especially when they are younger than to go to university, there are many costs ahead".
Not far away is the house of Mr. Bui Van Thin (born in 1980), the second victim in the landslide.
Mr. Thin's family lives in a cramped level 4 house, next to a dilapidated stilt house. The winter wind is cold, the rainy season is leaky everywhere, but that is all the couple has saved up after many years of working in the fields.
Mr. Thin is also the main breadwinner in the family and has 2 sons, the eldest son has just completed his military service, the youngest child has just entered grade 6.
The road construction job is hard, with many potential dangers, but brings a more stable income than farming, so he accepts to be away from home, clinging to the pass and slope every day to take care of his wife and children.
leading the tears, Ms. Bui Thi Thuy, Mr. Thin's biological sister, shared: "The whole family only depends on my younger brother's income. His wife lives at a buffalo grazing house and does not have a stable job. When hearing the news of the landslide, everyone went silently because they understood that with the job of sticking to the road and having rocks and soil flow down, the chance of survival was very low".
According to Mr. Pham Ngoc Tung - Vice Chairman of Tan Lac Commune People's Committee, both victims' families are poor and near-poor households. Immediately after the incident, local authorities promptly visited, encouraged and provided initial support to the families.
On the afternoon of December 15, the Phu Tho Provincial Business Association and the Hoa Binh Women's Business Association in coordination with the People's Committee of Tan Lac commune presented a total of 246 million VND to support 2 unfortunate worker families. Timely sharing partly helps families ease their immediate burden, but the pain of loss cannot be compensated.
On December 14, a serious landslide occurred at Km124+300 National Highway 6, the section passing Thung Nhuoi Pass, Mai Chau Commune, Phu Tho Province, killing 3 people and injuring 2 others.
Up to now, the landslide location has been basically handled, vehicles can circulate normally.
