Two men lost their lives in an agriculture fire in Houn District, Oudomxay Province last week.
The incident occurred when the individuals attempted to slash and burn a part of the forest to make room for rice cultivation when the fire burned out of control.
The victims, aged 42 and 36, both residents of Houn District, were unable to escape the blaze.
According to relatives of the deceased, a group of three men had entered the forest when the two victims got caught in the fire. Despite their desperate cries for help, the other man was unable to hear them as he had already left the area. The 42-year-old man succumbed to the fire and smoke, while the 36-year-old sustained severe injuries trying to flee the fire before eventually passing away later that same day.
The incident prompted an investigation by the provincial police and authorities to determine the exact cause of the fire and the locations of the victims’ deaths.
Crop burning and wildfires are common in Laos during the dry season, contributing to air pollution and causing unhealthy air quality levels in cities such as Vientiane Capital and Luang Prabang.
