VIENTIANE, July 10 (Xinhua) -- Six people were killed in a landslide in northern Lao province Phongsaly on Sunday, after almost two weeks of rainfall hit the region, Lao state-run media Vientiane Times reported Monday.
Head of Public Security Office of Samphan district Lieutenant Colonel Houmphaeng Khounsaniamphai told media on Monday that the landslide took place in Phearluang village of Samphan district, some 450 km north of Vientiane.
The landslide engulfed a house and left the six people dead. The victims were a couple and their four kids.
Lieutenant Colonel Houmphaeng said there were four dwellings located in the proximity of the disaster area, but only the victims' house which had backed onto the incline was in the path of the landslip.
It is not the first fatal landslide occurring in northern Laos. In 2013, a total of 16 people were killed by flooding and landslides in the neighboring province of Oudomxay.
From May to October of this year, tropical storms are expected to be generated in the northwest Pacific ocean, according to the Meteorology and Hydrology Department of Lao Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.
A few of these storms could move across into Laos, bringing torrential rains that increase the chance of landslides and flash flooding, particularly in northern and central regions. Enditem
