The heartbreaking plight of two orphaned children who lost both their parents.

On the morning of July 21st, a tragic electric shock accident occurred in Dai Dong hamlet, Thinh Son commune, resulting in the immediate death of Ms. Nguyen Thi Binh (31 years old), a resident of the hamlet.

According to the victim's family, Ms. Binh's parents-in-law's house (next door) had recently installed an air conditioner to combat the heat. Due to a malfunction in the air conditioner, at 10:30 AM, Ms. Binh climbed a ladder to check it and was electrocuted.

Mrs. Duong Thi Mai (60 years old), Ms. Binh's mother-in-law, recounted tearfully: "Yesterday morning, I was standing in the yard holding the ladder for my daughter-in-law to climb up and check the air conditioner. After waiting a long time and seeing no sign of activity, and receiving no response from Ms. Binh when she called out, I panicked and shouted."

When people switched off the power in the house, they found Ms. Binh had fallen to the ground. Her body was already turning purple. Immediately afterward, her family called for local doctors to provide emergency treatment, but she did not survive.

It is known that Ms. Binh's father-in-law, Mr. Nguyen Viet Hien (61 years old), recently suffered a stroke and is in poor health, relying on the help of relatives for all his daily activities. Out of compassion for him during the hot weather, a nephew from the South called a technician to install an air conditioner in his bedroom.

The local electrician had only installed the air conditioner two days before the tragic incident occurred. Immediately after the incident, the victim's family reported it to the local authorities.

On the afternoon of July 22nd, family, relatives, and neighbors from Dai Dong hamlet held a funeral to bid farewell to the unfortunate woman and lay her to rest. The hearse headed towards Cay Chanh cemetery amidst the heart-wrenching cries of her loved ones.

The image of Ms. Binh's two young children clutching their mother's portrait as they walked through the funeral procession brought many to tears, feeling both sorrow for the young mother and pity for her unfortunate children.

Present at the home of the two children, An and Phuc, as the funeral procession of Ms. Binh arrived, a somber atmosphere enveloped the house in the middle of the village. On the altar in the small room, the portraits of the young couple were surrounded by swirling incense smoke. The two children, with white headscarves, stood before their parents' altar, looking around at everyone with bewildered expressions. It seemed they had not yet grasped the pain of losing their mother.

Ms. Bui Thi Hue (68 years old) - Ms. Binh's mother - wept uncontrollably in front of her daughter's altar. According to Ms. Hue, Ms. Binh was the youngest daughter in the family. Mr. Nguyen Viet Dung (born in 1989) - Ms. Binh's husband - worked in the fields and also as a construction worker. When there was no work, he would go crabbing and collecting snails to earn extra income. Due to multiple illnesses that could not be cured after treatment at many hospitals, Mr. Dung passed away on the second day of the Lunar New Year in 2023.

After her husband passed away, Ms. Binh became both mother and father, shouldering two responsibilities to raise her children. She took on all the major and minor tasks in the house herself.

For nearly 10 years, she has worked as a factory worker for a garment company in Lac Son commune (Do Luong district). Yesterday, Sunday, she had the day off and stayed home to take care of her children. Hearing that her parents' newly installed air conditioner was broken and spraying water, she climbed up to check and fix it.

Tragically, she passed away suddenly, leaving behind two young children: Nguyen Ngoc Thien An (7 years old), who had just finished first grade at Thinh Son Primary School; and Nguyen Viet Thien Phuc (5 years old), who was in the upper grade at Thinh Son Kindergarten.

Mrs. Hue hugged her two grandchildren, saying tearfully, "Their mother passed away, and we are heartbroken. We feel so sorry for these two orphaned children, who have lost both their father and mother. It's truly a tragedy because they are so young."

The plight of these two orphaned children is truly heartbreaking. Their father's death wasn't enough, and now their mother has passed away as well. On the afternoon of July 22nd, while Ms. Binh's funeral was taking place, the Dai Dong neighborhood organized a fundraising effort, calling on residents to contribute whatever they could to help the family of the two children.

Mr. Thai Doan Son, head of Dai Dong hamlet, Thinh Son commune, said: "Ms. Binh's family is classified as near-poor. Now that both husband and wife have passed away, their two young children have suddenly become orphans. The children's circumstances are very special and they desperately need everyone's help."

Huy Thu