Ky Son people risk their lives to collect rocks at landslide sites

Route 543D from Muong Xen to Muong Tip and Muong Ai communes is currently the most dangerous point for landslides in Ky Son district. According to statistics from the district's Economic Infrastructure Department, this road has about 30 large and small landslides, affecting traffic and people's safety.

However, what is alarming is that on this route, local people have come to landslide sites to collect rocks to transport back to build houses or garden embankments. On the afternoon of August 10, from Ta Ca commune to Muong Tip, small trucks and some groups of people came to landslide sites to carry rocks onto the truck bed, while above, the weak layers of humus and rock could continue to collapse at any time.

Mr. Pha Van Long, Xop Kham village, Muong Tip commune said: My family is preparing to build a house but we don't have money to buy rocks. The price of each truck of rocks on the market is currently fluctuating from 2 to 2.5 million VND, so we took advantage of the opportunity to take the rocks that had just fallen down to bring home, saving money...

When Nghe An Newspaper reporters mentioned the danger of landslides that could recur, the rock collectors replied: "We know it's dangerous, when it collapses, we'll just run..."

Discussing this issue, Mr. Tho Ba Re - Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Ky Son district said: Collecting rocks under landslides is very dangerous and the locality absolutely prohibits this action. This is the road with the most landslides at present, if rocks continue to fall, the consequences will be unpredictable. After receiving the information, the district will direct the communes and functional forces to assign people to be on duty, put up signs asking people not to gather at these points to ensure safety.