The rescue force is searching for missing victims in Mường Than Commune in the northern mountainous province of Lai Châu. — VNA/VNS Photo Nguyễn Oanh

LAI CHÂU — The final missing victim of the flash flood that struck Mường Than Commune in the northern province of Lai Châu on July 17 has been found on Friday afternoon.

The People’s Committee of the ward said that at around 1pm, the local police discovered the body of a woman floating on the surface of the Mường Mít hydropower reservoir in Mường Mít Village.

By 3pm, the victim had been identified as Đỗ Thị Hoa, 57, and a resident of Chít Village in the commune.

Local police completed the necessary procedures before handing over the body to her family for burial in accordance with regulations.

The disaster claimed the lives of nine people, including eight residents of Mường Than Commune and one resident of Pắc Ta Commune.

A further nine people were injured.

Immediately after the disaster, more than 700 police officers, soldiers and militia personnel, supported by heavy machinery, were deployed to Mường Than Commune to search for missing people, evacuate residents and assist with recovery efforts.

Alongside the search operation, authorities worked to reopen transport routes, distribute essential supplies, relocate residents and their belongings, help families clean up damaged homes, and inspect areas at continued risk of landslides.

On July 20, the Government approved VNĐ50 billion (US$1.9 million) in emergency funding to support the province's recovery from the floods.

Total losses are estimated at around VNĐ270 billion ($10.3 million).

On July 21, Deputy Prime Minister Hồ Quốc Dũng led a government delegation to Mường Than Commune to inspect search and rescue operations, visit families who had lost relatives or whose loved ones remained missing, encourage evacuated households, and examine the proposed site for a resettlement area that is expected to accommodate around 24 families who lost their homes. — VNS