Ninh Van Dong, Chairman of Nam Xuan People's Committee, reported that last night and early this morning, the area experienced a violent storm with hail, causing severe damage to many households.

The stilt house of Vi Van Luan's family collapsed on the night of 28/4, killing his son Vi Thanh Lam. *Photo: Lam Son*

Around 22h on 28/4, 13-year-old Vi Thanh Lam, residing in Cua village, Nam Xuan commune, was sleeping when a whirlwind struck, collapsing the family's stilt house. Many tons-heavy wooden beams crushed the boy's shelter, causing his death.

Dong stated that when the house collapsed, Lam's paternal grandparents were also inside. They managed to escape in time and were unharmed.

Immediately after the incident, Nam Xuan commune authorities, along with local police and military, coordinated with residents to clear the scene and provide first aid to the victim. However, due to severe injuries, the boy did not survive.

A stilt house in Pu Luong commune had its roof blown off early this morning. *Photo: Lam Son*

According to the Nam Xuan Commune Steering Committee for Civil Defense, the storm damaged 10 households. One household in Cua village had its house and kitchen completely collapsed, while 9 others in Cum, Cua, But, and Khang villages had their roofs blown off. Many residents' assets, including motorbikes, televisions, grinding machines, and crops, were also damaged.

Beyond Nam Xuan, many other communes in Thanh Hoa also reported severe damage from storms and hail from the afternoon of 28/4 to the morning of 29/4. A summary from the Thanh Hoa Provincial Steering Committee for Disaster Prevention and Control indicated that in Phu Xuan, Hien Kiet, Ngoc Lien, Pu Luong, and other communes, storms blew off the roofs of dozens of homes.

Other locations also reported trees falling across roads, collapsed welcome gates, and school roofs blown off, including Phu Xuan Commune Primary and Kindergarten School. Across the province, nearly 280 hectares of rice in the heading stage, corn, and acacia trees were broken or felled, concentrated in Mau Lam, Thang Binh, Cac Son, and Quy Luong communes.

Currently, commune authorities are mobilizing forces to help residents clear debris, cut fallen trees, and reinforce roofs. They are also coordinating with the electricity sector to repair broken power poles and inspect the electrical system for safety.

A fallen tree crushed a resident's car in Ngoc Lien commune on the afternoon of 28/4. *Photo: Lam Son*

The reason for the storms and hail appearing in Thanh Hoa, and previously in Dien Bien and Tuyen Quang, is that cold air from the north continues to compress and push a low-pressure trough, centered around 22-24 degrees north latitude, southward.

According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, today, the area from Thanh Hoa to Hue will continue to experience showers and thunderstorms, with heavy rain in some places. During the thunderstorms, whirlwinds, lightning, hail, and strong gusts of wind may occur, posing a risk of flash floods on small rivers and streams, landslides in mountainous areas, and inundation in low-lying areas.

Le Hoang