Vice Chairman of the Quảng Ngãi Provincial People’s Committee Nguyễn Ngọc Sâm has arrived at Ngọc Linh Commune to oversee emergency efforts after prolonged heavy rains triggered severe landslides that completely isolated five villages with more than 1,700 residents.
At the scene, the Vice Chairman directed local authorities to urgently clear temporary access roads and deliver food and essential supplies to affected households to stabilise living conditions.
Ngọc Linh, a mountainous commune - formerly part of Đăk Glei District in Kon Tum Province, has 22 villages. Continuous rainfall from October 25–30 caused widespread landslides and cracks along inter-village roads, damaging concrete surfaces and cutting off access to production areas.
In the early hours of October 28, a hillside collapsed, burying the road to Ngọc Nang Village and isolating five villages — Ngọc Nang, Mô Po, Sa Úa, Ngọc Lâng, and Tu Răng — home to over 450 households, mostly of the Xơ Đăng ethnic group.
Under provincial direction, local authorities mobilised more than 100 people on October 31 to open temporary routes to northern villages. “Our priority is to reopen the road to deliver food and essentials for about 1,700 people,” said A Phương, Secretary of the Ngọc Linh Commune Party Committee. “Without it, travel and schooling would remain disrupted.”
At the site, Vice Chairman Sâm emphasised that ensuring food supplies for residents is the top priority. He noted that a key bridge on the route had been damaged and several culverts were unsafe, posing risks for both locals and rescue teams. He ordered that temporary roads be built as quickly as possible to ensure safe access and facilitate relief operations.
Currently, there are two main access routes to Ngọc Linh: a 40-km path from the Hồ Chí Minh Highway along Provincial Road 673, and a 21-km road from Măng Ri Commune — both suffering multiple landslides with thousands of cubic metres of debris. While some sections have been partially cleared, the risk of further landslides remains high if heavy rain continues.
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