Forest rangers fired warning shots, illegal loggers were shot and died

Surrounded by illegal timber on the river, illegal loggers fought back, forcing rangers to fire a series of warning shots, killing one person.

Krong Pa forest, a hotspot for illegal logging in Gia Lai. Photo: Nhat Ha

On the morning of June 3, Mr. Truong Quoc Dung - Head of Forest Ranger Department of Krong Pa district (Gia Lai) said that the previous afternoon, the unit received information that some people were illegally exploiting and transporting timber.Krong Nang River5 rangers went to the scenediscovered 4 people on an iron boat carrying about 4-5 cubic meters of rosewood heading towards Phu Yen.

Approached by the authorities, the group of people used machetes, knives, and sticks to slash. Seeing the danger, ranger Dinh Viet Hong pulled out his gun and fired five shots into the air to show his power. However, the illegal loggers were still reckless, using a boat to approach, injuring two rangers.

At this time, Mr. Hong aimed his gun at the side of the boat to stop the group of illegal loggers from attacking. However, the boat was unstable on the water and the bullet hit Nguyen Son Dong's leg.Seeing his accomplice injured, the illegal loggers quickly drove their boat towards Phu Yen to take the person to the emergency room.Forest rangers also took two injured officers to hospital.

According to Mr. Dung, late that same day, the Forest Ranger Department received news from the Krong Pa District Police that Dong had died. "TOn this section of the river, the forest rangers have repeatedly clashed with illegal loggers, being challenged and threatened by them," said Mr. Dung.

Lieutenant Colonel Tran Ngoc Anh - Chief of Staff, Gia Lai Provincial Police said that the unit has sent forces to coordinate with relevant parties to investigate and clarify.

According to VNE