Tornadoes sweep through 450 homes, killing 2 people.
This morning, a violent tornado swept through four districts in the provinces of Bac Lieu and Soc Trang, damaging nearly 450 houses. Two people died and dozens were injured when walls collapsed on them.
A corrugated iron roof sheet was blown off a house and got caught in power lines along National Highway 1A in Soc Trang. Photo: Thien Phuoc
Around 6:00 AM on August 1st, heavy rain accompanied by fierce thunderstorms swept through Vinh Phu Dong commune in Phuoc Long district, extending to Ninh Quoi A, Ninh Hoa, Ninh Thanh Loi, and Loc Ninh communes in Hong Dan district (Bac Lieu province), damaging over 120 houses. Nearly 50 of these houses completely collapsed, with falling walls crushing and killing Mrs. Phan Thi Be (76 years old) in Vinh Phu Dong commune (Phuoc Long district, Bac Lieu province).
Mr. Lai Thanh An, Chief of the Office of the Bac Lieu Provincial Flood and Storm Control Steering Committee, said that Vinh Phu Dong commune suffered the most damage, with 60 houses destroyed. In Ninh Thanh Loi commune, three people were injured when houses collapsed on them.
Mr. Phung's brick house and rice mill in Thanh Quoi commune (My Xuyen district, Soc Trang province) completely collapsed. Photo: Thien Phuoc
Around 7 AM, the two bordering districts of Soc Trang province, Thanh Tri and My Xuyen, were also affected by thunderstorms and strong winds amidst persistent rain. At this time, residents of Phu Loc town and Thanh Quoi commune heard deafening howling winds, hundreds of houses had their roofs blown off, and walls collapsed with a loud crash.
“My family barely managed to hide under the bed before the tornado demolished our house. A few seconds later, the rice mill behind it also completely collapsed, but luckily no one was injured because the workers hadn’t started work yet,” recounted Mr. Ho Van Phung from Thanh Quoi commune (My Xuyen district, Soc Trang province).
Along National Highway 1A, many utility poles were leaning precariously, and ancient trees were uprooted and scattered everywhere. Dozens of corrugated iron sheets flew off people's houses and hung precariously on power lines, while hundreds of people scrambled to take their relatives to the hospital for emergency treatment.
On the morning of July 1st, over 30 people injured when a tornado caused a house to collapse were taken to Thanh Tri District General Hospital (Soc Trang province) for emergency treatment. Photo: Thien Phuoc
At Thạnh Trị District General Hospital, at 8:30 AM, 34 people were brought in due to house collapses causing head injuries, broken arms and legs, etc. In Phú Tân hamlet of Phú Lộc town, one person died after a wall fell on them while they were visiting a neighbor.
According to preliminary statistics from Thanh Tri and My Xuyen districts, as of 11 am today, 311 houses have been damaged, with 96 completely collapsed. In addition to the deceased, Mr. Tieu Thanh Sang (33 years old), over 30 people were injured in Phu Loc town and 14 people were injured in Thanh Phu commune.
Speaking to VnExpress.net, Mr. Ngo Hoang Thanh, Chairman of the People's Committee of Phu Loc town, said that households with deceased members receive temporary support of 4.5 million VND, and each injured person receives 1.5 million VND.
According to Vnexpress - NT
