Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on October 18 issueda dispatch asking for greater efforts to rescue operations and settlement ofconsequences of landslides  in thecentral provinces of Thua Thien – Hue and Quang Tri.

In his dispatch, he emphasised that floods and landslides triggered bytorrential rains over the past month in the central and Central Highlandsregions, particularly Thua Thien – Hue and Quang Tri provinces, claimed severallives and left dozens of other missing.

He added the landslides early this week killed 13 officials and soldiers at RangerStation 67, and two construction workers and left 15 others missing at RaoTrang 3 hydropower plant in Thua Thien – Hue province. Moreover, a landslide occurredearly October 18 in Huong Hoa district, Quang Tri province, which buried 22officers and soldiers of Defence – Economic Division 337 under Military Region4.

Also in the dispatch, the PM extended his deepest condolences to the families ofthe officials and soldiers sacrificed during their rescue operations, as wellas his sympathy to the families of those who are still missing.

Heavy rain is predicted to last in the coming days, posing a high risk oflandslides and flash floods in the central and Central Highlands regions. Toprotect the life and properties of residents, the PM asked the Ministry ofDefence, the National Committee for Disaster Response and Search and Rescue toinstruct Military Region 4 and relevant units to mobilise all resources andequipment to search and rescue workers who lost contact at the Rao Trang 3hydropower plant and soldiers buried by a landslide in Huong Hoa district, whileensuring safety for rescue forces.

The ministries of Transport and Public Security and the People’s Committees ofThua Thien – Hue and Quang Tri were asked to mobilise all equipment andresources to join efforts with the Ministry of Defence and Military Region 4 tofix road to in the affected areas so that machineries and means of transport arebrought to assist the rescue work in the landslide scenes.

Meanwhile, localities were also asked to promptly assist state policy beneficiaries,and families of natural disaster victims, as well as those affected by naturaldisasters.

The Central Steering Committee on Natural Disaster Prevention and Control isresponsible for keeping a close watch on flood developments in order to adopt responsemeasures.

Also the same day, Deputy PM Trinh Dinh Dung and his working delegation made afield trip to Quang Tri province to instruct the settlement of the consequencesof floods.

He visited local residents in Thanh An commune, Cam Lo district.

During his meeting Cam Lo authorities, Dung conveyed PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s condolencesto the people in the central region in general and to those in Quang Tri inparticular, especially the relatives of the flood victims.

He praised efforts of rescue forces and asked them to prioritise searching andrescuing soldiers buried by a landslide in Huong Hoa district.

As of 4:45 pm of October 18, 14 bodies of 22 soldiers buried by a landslideearlier the same day in Huong Hoa district had been found./.