On August 24, images of a large landslide appearing in the middle of the mountainside, extending close to a row of houses believed to belong to the Ethnic Minority Boarding Primary and Secondary School (PTDTBT) of Cong Son commune, Lang Son province, spread on social networks.
In the photo, a patch of soil and rock in the middle of the forest is being peeled off, forming a long strip from below the mountainside up near the school grounds. The project is located on a high terrain, surrounded by hills and forests.
The image makes many people worried about the risk of unsafety for teachers and students before the new school year.
Talking to reporters after inspecting the scene, Mr. Luong Van Mao, Vice Chairman of Cong Son Commune People's Committee, said that the landslide affected the school area but did not affect the foundation of the classroom block.
Soil and rocks have just slid into the foundation of the toilet area. From this auxiliary structure to the classroom row is about 5-6 m. Through initial inspection, the school building has not been affected," Mr. Mao said.
According to the leader of the People's Committee of Cong Son commune, students have not yet returned to school, so the incident has not affected their accommodation and study. However, the landslide area is still potentially dangerous, especially in the context of prolonged heavy rain, soil and rocks on the mountainside have been soaked in water.
The Commune People's Committee and representatives of relevant units directly came to the scene to inspect, assess the situation and agree on a safety assurance plan.
In the immediate future, the school is required to stop using the toilet and water tank located near the landslide site. When students return, the school will arrange for them to use another toilet.
Local authorities also requested to erect barricades, place warning signs and strictly prohibit students and non-commissioned people from entering dangerous areas.
Developments at the landslide point will continue to be monitored to promptly handle if soil and rocks move further or new cracks appear.
In the new school year, Cong Son Ethnic Minority Boarding Primary and Secondary School is expected to have 206 students. Due to the large mountainous area, many villages are far from the school site, some students are organized to eat and stay at school.
Leaders of Cong Son commune said that the locality will continue to coordinate with specialized agencies to check the stability of the area, develop remedial plans and only put the project into use when ensuring safety for teachers and students.
According to statistics from the Department of Education and Training of Lang Son province, as of 11:00 AM on August 24, the whole province recorded 10 schools and vocational education - continuing education centers damaged by storm No. 4. The total initial damage value is estimated at about 1.607 billion VND.
The largest damage recorded was at Cong Son Ethnic Minority Boarding Primary and Secondary School, Cong Son commune, estimated at about 500 million VND.
The area behind the school grounds where the landslide point appeared is about 60 m wide. The terrain here is rugged, located next to a deep abyss about 300 m.
The landslide risks causing subsidence, affecting a water tank, pumping station, toilet area, part of the kitchen and about 60 m of iron fence.
At Chau Son Secondary School, Cuong Loi branch, about 20 m of soil was eroded. The landslide block pushed the embankment system close to the foot of the subject classroom area, causing estimated damage of 300 million VND.
With the same level of damage is Thien Hoa Ethnic Minority Boarding Secondary School, Yen Lo branch. About 300 m3 of soil from the taluy behind the classroom collapsed. Cracks continue to appear on the taluy slope, posing a potential risk of further landslides.
