On the evening of 1/8, around 7 p.m., a 14-year-old girl, a 5-year-old boy, and a 3-year-old girl were riding a motorcycle together in Cheo Bau village. Following intense rain, residents discovered the motorcycle stuck on a roadside guardrail but could not find the children. They promptly reported the incident to authorities. Law enforcement and the families immediately launched a search operation.

Around 8 p.m., rescuers located the boy's body in the old Bau stream area, approximately 700 meters from where the motorcycle was found. Two hours later, rescue forces discovered the body of the 14-year-old girl in Na Lay stream, nearly 3 kilometers away.

The Son La Provincial People's Committee established a working group to the scene to direct the search efforts. Authorities mobilized approximately 125 people, including police, militia, local officials, and residents from Cheo Bau, Suoi Cay, Suoi Thinh, and Na Lay villages.

After a night of searching, around 9 a.m. on 2/8, rescue forces found the body of the 3-year-old girl in the downstream area of the stream in Gia Phu commune.

Authorities search for three children swept away by the flood. *Photo: Military Zone 2 Newspaper*

According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, the Northern region was expected to continue experiencing rain of 10-30 mm on 2/8, with localized areas receiving over 90 mm. Some places could see over 70 mm of rain within three hours.

Thunderstorms in the Northern region and Thanh Hoa are forecast to persist for several days, increasing the risk of flash floods on small rivers and streams, landslides in mountainous areas, and inundation in low-lying areas.

Gia Chinh