Rescuers search for 22 buried as Vietnam landslide hits army camp

A landslide in central Vietnam on Sunday buried at least 22 army personnel, just a week after another landslide killed 13 people as heavy rain continued to pound the region, state media reported.

The latest landslide sent rocks and earth crashing into an army camp at the foot of a mountain following a week of incessant rain in Quang Tri province, the official Vietnam News Agency said.

Eight people were able to escape, but the 22 others were believed to be trapped underneath the rubble.

Three bodies were retrieved as about 100 rescuers dug through the mud in search of the missing.

On Thursday, rescuers recovered 13 bodies, 11 of them army officers, from a landslide in Thua Thien-Hue, Quang Tri’s neighbouring province.

The team were on their way to another landslide that was reported to have buried 16 workers at a hydroelectric plant construction site, which remains inaccessible.

Torrential rain has caused widespread flooding in central Vietnam since last week and weather forecasters say more rain is on the way.