Prolonged heavy rains have caused severe landslides on National Highway 16 leading into the border commune of Nhon Mai in Nghe An Province, with several sections breaking off and collapsing into a stream.

Some students returning home from their 10th-grade entrance exams were stranded and forced to walk along the edge of the stream to get home.

On June 5, local authorities in Tuong Duong District confirmed that torrential rains had severely impacted several access roads to Nhon Mai Commune. Emergency teams have been deployed to assess and address the damage caused by the flooding.

In recent days, while officials and local residents were still working to clear the aftermath of a flash flood, another wave of heavy rain struck the commune on the night of June 4, triggering new landslides.

Significantly, the rising and fast-flowing floodwaters caused extensive erosion along National Highway 16. Entire sections of the road collapsed into the stream, effectively paralyzing traffic.

Earlier this morning, many students who had just finished their high school entrance exams were trapped on their way back as the only access road to their village was washed away. Together with their parents, they had to walk along the stream’s edge next to National Highway 16 to return home.

Luong Van Hoa, Party Secretary of Nhon Mai Commune, said that recent floods had eroded portions of National Highway 16. Authorities had previously deployed machinery to clear debris and reopen the road for travel. However, the heavy rain on the night of June 4 caused nearly 3 kilometers of the highway passing through Nhon Mai to suffer severe damage.

"Entire segments of the road were completely swept away, making it impossible for vehicles to pass. Excavators have now been dispatched to repair the damage," Hoa added.

Prior to this, between the night of May 29 and the morning of May 30, heavy rains caused flash floods and landslides in several mountainous districts of Nghe An, including Ky Son, Tuong Duong, and Que Phong. Residents watched in anguish as their properties were washed away by floodwaters.

In Tuong Duong District alone, downpours on the night of May 29 led to flooding and landslides in multiple locations. Notably, the communes of Nhon Mai and Huu Khuong were hit by flash floods that damaged both public infrastructure and private property.

Thien Luong