NGHỆ AN - Torrential rain in the past few days sent floodwaters surging down the Nậm Ngân Stream in the central province of Nghệ An. The water rose rapidly, sweeping away the iron bridge, the only link to Canh Hamlet in Nga My Commune, and isolating more than 30 households with over 160 residents.

Homes and farmland were left submerged, and with no safe crossing, villagers have resorted to using bamboo rafts to brave the torrent, facing serious risks. VNS

In the middle of the stream, where the current is strong and the water deep, villagers cross on bamboo rafts without life jackets or safety equipment. To get the bamboo rafts across the Nậm Ngân Stream, one has to pull on ropes by hand. VNA/VNS Photos

Another on the raft struggles with poles from behind to help push it across the stream.

Children in Canh Hamlet, Nga My Commune, bathe in the stream where the footbridge was swept away by floods, and climb onto rafts to pull themselves across the Nậm Ngân Stream.

Many children in Canh Hamlet (Nga My Commune, Nghệ An Province) have been pulling ropes and using poles to push rafts across the Nậm Ngân Stream. The practice is extremely dangerous, as some have slipped or been knocked off balance by the ropes and fallen into the water.

Many children in Canh Hamlet (Nga My Commune, Nghệ An Province) have been pulling ropes and using poles to push rafts across the Nậm Ngân Stream. The practice is extremely dangerous, as some have slipped or been knocked off balance by the ropes and fallen into the water.

The site where the iron footbridge on the only road to Canh Hamlet was swept away by floods on the morning of September 29, leaving more than 30 households cut off from the village centre.