A devastating landslide occurred at the construction site of Ta Pao Ho 1A Hydropower Plant in Phong Tho District, Lai Chau Province, leaving at least five people missing and four others injured.

The incident happened at approximately 10:30 a.m. on May 16. At the time, a group of workers was clearing the foundation pit beneath the dam when the lower talus slope of a road section in Mo Si San Commune collapsed. The resulting rock and earth slide buried several workers on site.

According to the Lai Chau Provincial Command for Natural Disaster Prevention and Search and Rescue, the five missing workers have been identified as P.L.L. (16), L.L.S. (17), T.U.M. (41), and T.S.M. (39), all residents of Lai Chau Province. The fifth missing person, L.V.H. (38), is from Nghe An Province.

The four injured workers, also from Nghe An, include D.V.V. (41), L.V.P. (40), L.V.T. (40), and L.V.S. (55).

Rescue efforts are being carried out urgently by local authorities and military personnel from Military Region 2, with two excavators deployed to the site to assist in locating the missing and transporting the injured for emergency treatment.

Initial investigations attribute the landslide to prolonged heavy rainfall in the area, which destabilized the terrain and caused the rockslide.

The Ta Pao Ho hydropower complex, consisting of Ta Pao Ho 1A (upstream) and Ta Pao Ho 1B (downstream), is situated about 90 kilometers from Lai Chau City and sources hydroelectric power from the Ta Pao Ho stream across the communes of Si Lo Lau and Mo Si San.

The National Civil Defense Steering Office has advised Lai Chau Province to coordinate with Military Region 2 Command and the Border Guard to conduct terrain assessments, swiftly implement search and rescue plans, and evacuate people and property from at-risk areas.

Authorities have emphasized the need to ensure the absolute safety of personnel and equipment involved in rescue operations.

Scene of the landslide at Ta Pao Ho 1A Hydropower Plant. Photo: TN

Duc Hoang