5 Nghe An citizens stranded in Thua Thien - Hue need to be rescued

On the afternoon of July 27, speaking with a reporter from Nghe An Newspaper, Mr. Nguyen Hong Nhat - Deputy Chief of Office of the People's Committee of Phong Dien District (Thua Thien - Hue) said that the leaders of this district had assigned the Traffic Police to find a means of transport for 5 citizens who were stuck here to return to their hometown in Nghe An. However, throughout the past day, the Traffic Police have not yet found a passenger bus to "rescue" these people.

"We have done everything we can. Currently, we have arranged for these five people to stay at a community cultural house near Highway 1, in Phong Thu commune," said Mr. Nhat.

These 5 people, including 2 women and 3 children, did not have mobile phones on them, nor could they remember their relatives' phone numbers, so they could not contact anyone. According to Mr. Nhat, because these people were ethnic minorities, communication to get information was difficult.

5 people are stuck in Thua Thien - Hue. Photo: Contributor

Meanwhile, according to the reporter's investigation, these 5 citizens belong to 2 families from the same hometown of Ky Son (Nghe An), and have been working in Binh Duong province for many months. Recently, both families decided to return to their hometown by two motorbikes. When they reached the top of Hai Van Pass, due to concerns about the spread of the epidemic in the area, like many other cases, they were transferred by authorities to Thua Thien - Hue province.

Accordingly, motorbikes were transferred by one vehicle and passengers were transported by another vehicle from the top of Hai Van Pass to Phong Thu Commune (Phong Dien District) - bordering Quang Tri Province, where they were dropped off so that these people could continue their journey. "However, it seemed that these two husbands thought that we would take their wives and children all the way to Nghe An. So when the transfer vehicle stopped, they immediately jumped off, took two motorbikes and sped straight to Nghe An, leaving their wives and children behind," said Mr. Nhat.

Dinh was given a meal by a traffic police officer of Hung Nguyen district police while waiting for his wife early in the morning. Photo: Tien Hung

Seeing the five people standing there for hours after getting off the shuttle bus, the authorities at the checkpoint asked about them and gave them some money. However, a day had passed and they still had not found a bus to return home.

Meanwhile, on the afternoon of July 27, Mr. Xong Ba Dinh (21 years old, from Na Ngoi commune, Ky Son district) - 1 of 2 men riding a motorbike was present at the checkpoint on Ben Thuy 2 bridge.

Speaking to reporters, Mr. Dinh said that he and his wife have been living and working as hired laborers in Bau Bang district (Binh Duong province) for the past 4 months, with their 2 young children (a 3-year-old and an 18-month-old) in their home town. Due to the pandemic, Dinh decided to take his wife and 2 children back to their hometown by motorbike.

As the authorities said, Dinh said that when he arrived in Thua Thien - Hue province and was asked to get on a shuttle bus, he thought his wife and children would be taken back to Nghe An.

"That's why we ran all the way here to wait," Dinh said, adding that he had been at the checkpoint since the morning of July 27. He still hasn't been able to contact his wife. At the checkpoint, sympathizing with Dinh's situation, the Traffic Police team of Hung Nguyen District Police on duty here has supported him with food and water and is trying to connect information so that his wife and children can soon return to Nghe An./.