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Laos dam collapse: ‘hundreds missing’ after villages flooded Laos dam collapse: hundreds missing after villages flooded
(about 3 hours later)
Hundreds of people are missing after a hydroelectric dam broke in southern Laos, the state news has reported. Hundreds of people are missing after a hydroelectric dam collapsed in southern Laos, destroying thousands of homes and leaving an unknown number of dead.
Five billion cubic metres of water swept through the surrounding countryside after the accident at the Xepian-Xe Nam Noy hydropower dam, which is still under construction. Five billion cubic metres of water – the equivalent of 2m Olympic swimming pools – swept through the surrounding countryside after the accident at the Xepian-Xe Nam Noy hydropower dam, which is still under construction in south-eastern Attapeu province.
The dam collapsed at 8pm on Monday. The neighbouring villages of Yai Thae, Hinlad, Mai, Thasengchan, Tha Hin, and Samong bore the brunt of flooding, which has reportedly destroyed thousands of homes. The dam collapsed at 8pm on Monday, a state news agency reported. The neighbouring villages of Yai Thae, Hinlad, Mai, Thasengchan, Tha Hin and Samong bore the brunt of flooding, which has reportedly destroyed thousands of homes.
Officials brought in boats to try to evacuate victims who were left stranded by the water. Aerial footage of the area shows the whole region under muddy water, with only roofs and the tops of trees visible. Officials brought in boats to try to evacuate victims in San Sai district who were left stranded by the water. Aerial footage shows the whole region under muddy water, with only roofs and the tops of trees visible.
Several people have been confirmed dead, and more than 6,600 made homeless, the official news agency KPL reported. Several people have been confirmed dead, and more than 6,600 are homeless, official news agency KPL reported.
Communist Laos, one of Asia’s poorest and most secretive countries, is land-locked and aims to become the “battery of Asia” by selling power to its neighbours through a series of hydropower dams. The company building the dam said heavy rain and flooding caused it to collapse and it was cooperating with the Laos government to help rescue villagers.
The company building the dam said heavy rain and flooding caused the collapse and it was cooperating with the Laos government to help rescue villagers near the dam. “We are running an emergency team and planning to help evacuate and rescue residents,” an SK Engineering & Construction spokesman told Reuters.
“We are running an emergency team and planning to help evacuate and rescue residents in villages near the dam,” a SK Engineering & Construction spokesman told Reuters by telephone. The dam is a key component of the country’s controversial ambitions to becomes the “battery of Asia” by selling power to its neighbours. Eleven large hydropower dams on the main Mekong River, and 120 tributary dams, are planned over the next 20 years.
The prime minister, Thongloun Sisoulith, called on government organisations, the police and the military to assist in the emergency relief effort in the south-eastern province of Attapeu. The 410MW project was designed to generate electricity by diverting the waters of the Houay Makchanh, Xe-Namnoy and Xe-Pian rivers on the Bolaven Plateau in the Laos province of Champasack, and then letting them flow back into the Xe-Pian river, and eventually into the Mekong.
The hydropower dam project, which is estimated to be worth about $1bn (£760m), is being built by Xe Pien-Xe Namnoy Power Company and is a joint venture between several South Korean and Laos companies. Construction began in 2013 and was due for completion by the end of this year, with plans to start operations in 2019. The plan is to export 90% of the energy produced to neighbouring Thailand, making it a lucrative source of income.
The objective was to make the dam a lucrative source of income for Laos, a poverty-stricken country, by exporting 90% of the energy to neighbouring Thailand. Laos, alandlocked and poverty stricken country, has secured billions in foreign funds from hydropower investors.
Environmental campaigners have repeatedly raised concerns about plans by the government in Laos to build vast dams across the Mekong river and turn the country into a hydroelectricity hub; 11 large hydropower dams on the Mekong’s mainstream, and 120 tributary dams, are planned over the next 20 years. But the country’s focus on the energy source has provoked a backlash from environmental activists, NGOs and scientists for its impact on the Mekong, one of the world’s longest, largest and resource-rich rivers. A report from the inter-governmental Mekong River Commission in April estimated that its fish stocks would fall by up to 40% as a result of the hydropower projects.
The International Rivers group said the accident exposed “major risks” associated with some dam designs that are “unable to cope with extreme weather conditions”. A report by the Stockholm Environment Institute also pointed out that “changes in rainfall and extreme weather could pose a risk to Laos’ hydropower-dominated electricity system”.
“Unpredictable and extreme weather events are becoming more frequent in Laos and the region due to climate change,” International Rivers told Reuters in an e-mail. Last year, a dam broke along Laos’ Nam Ao River, unleashing a torrent of water that flooded seven villages and ruined acres of farmland.
“This also shows the inadequacy of warning systems for the dam construction and operations. The warning appeared to come very late and was ineffective in ensuring people had advance notice to ensure their safety and that of their families,” the group said. But concerns over hydropower dams have been dismissed by the government.
The Xepian-Xe Nam Noy dam, which is estimated to be worth about $1bn (£760m), is a joint venture between several South Korean and Laos companies. Construction began in 2013 and was due for completion by the end of this year, with plans to start operations in 2019.
The prime minister, Thongloun Sisoulith, called on government organisations, the police and the military to assist in the emergency relief effort.
The International Rivers group, which has campaigned about the risks of developing the Mekong, said the accident showed that some dam designs are “unable to cope with extreme weather conditions”.
“Unpredictable and extreme weather events are becoming more frequent in Laos and the region due to climate change,” said a spokesperson for International Rivers.
“This also shows the inadequacy of warning systems for the dam construction and operations. The warning appeared to come very late and was ineffective in ensuring people had advance notice to ensure their safety and that of their families,” it said.
Reuters contributed to this reportReuters contributed to this report
LaosLaos
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