The heartbreaking plight of two teenage girls who escaped from a gold mine.

(Baonghean.vn) - Hearing the news about Lo Thi Xi's daughterEscaping from the gold mine, Ms. Lo Me Tangin Bac Ly commune, Ky Son district (Nghe An province)She just sat there motionless. She said she missed her child, but because of their extreme poverty, she had to accept letting her 14-year-old son work in the gold mine.

It was a struggle to reach Phia Kham 2 village. The village lies in a valley with winding slopes, bordered on one side by a mountain ravine. Phia Kham 2 is like a tiny oasis, a forgotten tribe in the vast forests of Nghe An province. It is one of 11 Khmu villages in Bac Ly border commune, Ky Son district (Nghe An). Here, most of the children go naked. The older residents, seeing strangers, crowded around the house of Lo Thi Xi. From the photo online, almost everyone in the village recognized us.

The house, thatched with palm leaves and bamboo walls, creaked with each step we took. It was deserted because Ms. Lo Me Tang and Mr. Lo Pho Tang, Xi's parents, were out working in the fields nearby. After a while, the mother appeared. After a long discussion with the villagers, the woman, who looked like a 50-year-old, said she was born in 1978, and her husband, Mr. Lo Pho Tang, born in 1971, was out working in the fields and wouldn't be back until late at night.

When we spoke to her, she just sat silently, as if unable to communicate in Vietnamese. In the bamboo stilt house with holes large enough for an adult to fit through, apart from the wooden bed in the outer room, there was nothing of value.

The dilapidated house where Lo Pho Tang's family lives.

Through the translation of Mr. Xeo Pho Dien, a health worker in Phia Kham 2 village, Ms. Lo Me Tang said: Her daughter just called to say she has arrived in Quang Binh. She won't arrive in Ky Son until tomorrow. The family is anxiously awaiting her return.

Xi is the second of six children in her family. The oldest is a little girl named Tang, and the youngest is still an infant. Both Tang and Xi were working at a gold mine in Quang Nam and had just escaped and been rescued by the police the day before.

Lò Mẹ Tang and her daughter are anxiously awaiting news of Lò Thị Xí.

The mother couldn't remember the exact year she got married, only that her eldest child was 15 and the second had just turned 14. Both had dropped out of school and, having nothing to do at home, had followed their friends to the gold mine two months ago.

The two children hadn't contacted the family for a month. Then, on the evening of April 26th, Xi called and said she had escaped from the gold mine and was "with the police in Kham Duc (Phuoc Son district, Quang Nam province). I was very worried because I only had news of the younger sister; I couldn't reach her."

Upon hearing the news that Lo Thi Xi had escaped from the gold mines in Quang Nam and returned home, everyone in the village came to visit and offer encouragement.

Speaking on the phone, Xi said: “I ran away because I was forced to work day and night. When I complained of being tired, they beat me.” The 14-year-old girl also said that there were about 100 other people from Bac Ly commune, aged 13-20, working at the gold mine. Currently, she and another person, Moong Thi Sac (not Moong Thi Khat as reported), are being transported back to their families by the Phuoc Son District Police (Quang Nam).

Compared to the family of Lo Pho Tang, the family of Mr. Moong Pho Que (father of Moong Thi Sac) is somewhat better off.

Meanwhile, Mr. Moong Pho Que, a war veteran in Huoi Cang village (Bac Ly), said he had also received a phone call from his daughter. Mr. Que said that he was a retired commune official but couldn't dissuade his daughter, who was at an age where she needed to eat and grow, from going to search for gold in a foreign land.

Two months ago, Moong Thi Sac dropped out of school in the middle of 10th grade and returned home. Shortly after, she was lured by friends and ran away to a gold mine, and no one could dissuade her. The former soldier said he was very happy to hear that his daughter had escaped from the gold mine and been rescued by the police. Mr. Que said he would educate his daughter more carefully and consider this a lesson for his children.

Mr. Moong Pho Que said he was very happy that his son had returned home.

Information from the commune police indicates that the situation regarding local laborers leaving the area is very difficult to control, especially those working in gold mines in Quang Nam, whose movements are frequent. According to the latest data from the Bac Ly commune police, there are currently 163 people working outside the area. They are referred to as "those who have gone to work for companies." Of these, 20 are working in gold mines in Quang Nam, and the employment status of 55 is unknown.

We will continue to provide updates on this matter.

Minh Khue - Bun My