Arya News - Deputy Head of the Commission for Information and Education in Luang Namtha, Koulasin Vikhaylou, said provincial officials are intensifying assistance, especially around the Boten border area.
VIENTIANE – Floodwaters have largely receded in Luang Namtha province after a flash flood on Saturday, but several roads remain impassable, power and water supplies are still cut in places, and authorities are urgently seeking food, drinking water, clothing and medicines for affected com-munities.
Deputy Head of the Commission for Information and Education in Luang Namtha, Koulasin Vikhaylou, said provincial officials are intensifying as-sistance, especially around the Boten border area.
Soldiers have helped move residents to safer ground, and no one remains stranded in flooded zones, he told the Vientiane Times.
“The water has gone down considerably, but some roads are still impassable, while electricity and water supplies in some areas are cut off,” Mr Koulasin said. A full damage assessment has not yet been completed.
More than 30 villages in Luang Namtha were hit. Initial reports point to damage to homes, farmland, roads, schools and other infrastructure. The province was declared a disaster zone on Sunday because of the severity of the flooding.
Transport links are still disrupted. Lao Airlines cancelled flights between the capital Vientiane and Luang Namtha on Sunday after water affected the airport; services will resume only when conditions allow.
The Luang Namtha Provincial Department of Public Works and Transport has temporarily closed National Road 13 North from the Oudomxay border to Boten on the Laos-China frontier.
Heavy rain on Saturday caused the Thoung River and other rivers to rise, flooding sections of the highway. Landslides, fallen trees and mud also blocked the road. Crews are clearing it and will reopen the road as soon as it is safe.
Neighbouring provinces were also affected. In Oudomxay, flash floods in Xay district on Saturday inundated homes, rice fields and other farmland, according to the province’s radio and television station.
In Luang Prabang, more than 190 households in Nambak district were hit by flooding on Sunday, where provincial authorities are providing help to families in need.
The floods followed several days of heavy rain that caused rivers and streams in northern Laos to rise rapidly. Officials are continuing to monitor river levels, clear blocked roads and prepare relief supplies for distribution.