11 houses fall into the Sai Gon River

HCM CITY — No deaths were reported after land erosion caused 11 houses in HCM City's Thanh Da Peninsula to fall into the Sai Gon River on Saturday night.

People left homeless by the landslides in Ward 27, Binh Thanh District have been moved to temporary accommodation at the local cultural house.

A resident in the area said he had seen cracks in the walls of some of the houses a couple of days before the accident, but did not think the homes were in serious danger.

Nguyen Chi Truong, chairman of the Ward 27's People's Committee, said all the collapsed houses were located on an area that was scheduled to be cleared for a project to build an embankment.

He said Binh Thanh District and Ward 27 authorities had repeatedly warned households along the river about the growing danger of collapses of this type.

Ward 27 People's Committee provided each affected household with VND2 million(US$105) for moving costs. —VNS