Mountain collapses like a waterfall in Nghệ An despite clear skies

Hundreds of cubic meters of earth and rock suddenly poured down a mountainside in Mường Lống, Nghệ An, on August 31, even though it was not raining. The debris covered a temporary road along a stream and cut off travel to villages farther inside the area.

The road from Mường Lống Heaven’s Gate to the Sa Lầy, Tham Hang and Tham Hốc villages had already been damaged by landslides. While the Nghệ An Department of Construction works on a permanent route, local authorities opened the temporary road to maintain access. Officials are now using machinery to level the debris and clear a passage.

Mường Lống commune chairman Phạm Văn Hòa said the local government had mobilized forces and equipment to deal with the blockage. He urged residents to avoid landslide sections unless travel was necessary, adjust their schedules and stay away from areas under warning.

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We have advised residents to limit travel through landslide sections unless absolutely necessary to protect lives and property, adjust their schedules and arrange travel times appropriately, and avoid areas under landslide-risk warnings.

In nearby Mường Típ, large rocks weighing up to several tons fell onto provincial road 543D at Xốp Típ village. The road is the only route from Mường Xén to Mường Típ. No one was passing when the rocks fell, and no injuries were reported. Authorities later used excavators to clear the road, which reopened after several hours.

Vi Thị Quyên, secretary of the Mường Típ Party Committee, warned that more rocks remained on the mountain and could fall at any time. She said many people and vehicles use the road each day and called for a permanent solution to make travel safer. Officials said the initial cause may have been water absorbed by the mountainside during earlier periods of heavy rain, leaving the soil and rock structure unstable.

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Although the road has reopened, rocks remain on the mountain and could slide down at any time. Many people and vehicles use the road every day. In the long term, the commune hopes higher authorities will find a definitive solution so residents can travel safely.