Taking advantage of the weekend lull in law enforcement presence, a group brazenly used excavators and numerous trucks to carry out large-scale illegal soil mining activities in Tho Loc village, Dong Loi commune, Trieu Son district. The incident occurred right next to the North-South Expressway, posing a serious threat to traffic safety and the structural integrity of this vital transportation infrastructure.
Illegal soil mining operation using excavator and trucks encroaching on the North-South Expressway embankment, photographed on the afternoon of December 21, 2024.
According to on-site observations on the afternoon of December 21, 2024, the mining operation was in full swing with a large excavator constantly working. This excavator rapidly scooped up large buckets of soil from a field area cleared for the expressway project, dumping them onto waiting trucks. Trucks lined up, continuously entering and exiting, transporting soil for sale, creating a bustling illegal mining site right next to a national key project.
Extensive and deep excavation marks compared to the original field surface, indicating the large scale of illegal soil mining using excavator and trucks, photographed on the afternoon of December 21, 2024.
Notably, the illegally mined area was originally surplus construction land within the North-South Expressway project. However, instead of being used appropriately by contractors, this area was exploited illegally. The perpetrators not only removed the surplus soil but also used excavators to dig deep into the old topsoil layer, seriously damaging the area’s original condition.
More dangerously, the excavator loading soil onto trucks was operating directly under the expressway overpass, directly infringing on the bridge’s foundation. Many excavation sites were only meters away from the road embankment and the highway safety corridor protection system. Illegal soil mining using excavators and trucks in this location is not only a violation of the law but also poses a potential risk to the safety of the overpass and the expressway.
More dangerously, illegal soil mining takes place directly under the expressway overpass, with the excavator digging close to the bridge foundation, photographed on the afternoon of December 21, 2024.
Upon noticing strangers approaching the site, a middle-aged man named Q., claiming to be a local, quickly appeared to inquire about the reporters’ purpose. According to local residents, illegal soil mining using excavators and trucks has been ongoing since Saturday of the previous week (December 14, 2024). During the day, the perpetrators mine in the field area and under the expressway overpass, and at night they bring excavators into the roundabout connecting to the expressway to continue digging. This area was originally planned for planting flowers and ornamental plants, located within the national project’s protection corridor.
Scarred landscape from illegal soil mining, the aftermath of using excavators and trucks to dig up soil.
Illegal soil mining operation using excavators and trucks resumes on the weekend, late afternoon of December 21, 2024.
Investigations revealed that the illegally mined soil is transported for sale to residential areas in Nua town, about 5-7km away, with transaction values reaching hundreds of millions of VND. Smaller trucks transport soil for sale to local residents to fill ponds and level gardens. The use of excavators to load soil onto trucks for illegal mining and transportation not only causes resource depletion but also generates illicit profits for the violators.
Trucks carrying illegally mined soil plowing and further damaging the Nhom River dike section passing through Tho Loc village, Dong Loi commune.
Many local residents express outrage over large trucks carrying soil damaging the concrete surface of the Nhom River dike, the consequence of illegal soil mining and transportation by trucks.
Many local residents expressed outrage as heavy trucks carrying soil plowed and damaged the concrete surface of the Nhom River dike passing through Tho Loc village. Illegal soil mining using excavators loading onto trucks not only causes environmental and traffic safety consequences but also affects the lives and livelihoods of local residents.
Thanh Hoa Newspaper will continue to report on the developments of this event and related information…
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