Laos dam collapse: 19 confirmed dead, 3,000 need rescue
South Korean contractors said they reported damage a day before Laos dam gave way
LAOS Rescuers recovered 19 bodies and hundreds remain missing after a dam collapse swamped several villages in southern Laos, as survivors Wednesday questioned the lack of warnings.
Two South Korean contractors said they reported damage a day before parts of the Xe-Namnoy dam gave way on Monday.
A Thai consular official at the scene of the relief effort in Attepeu province told AFP 19 bodies had been recovered.
"Seventeen others are injured and in hospital," he said, adding roof-level floodwater was hampering rescue efforts.
Yesterday afternoon, the state-run Laos News Agency said hundreds of people remained unaccounted for, with at least 50 missing from the village of Ban Mai alone.
Footage on Laos television showed people huddled on roofs awaiting rescue as muddy water swirled just below them.
Questions began to emerge over the collapse, with some of the displaced saying they were warned to evacuate homes only hours before disaster struck.
"It happened quickly, we had little time to prepare ourselves," Joo Hinla, 68, from one of the worst-hit villages of Ban Hin Lath, told AFP from a warehouse crammed with over 700 displaced people in a neighbouring province.
"All of the houses in my village are under water. Four of my family are missing, we don't know about their fate yet."
Hundreds of other displaced people, including women, children and the elderly, sat on the floor nearby surrounded by plastic bags crammed with meagre belongings.
Laos, poor but blessed with abundant natural resources, aims to become the "Battery of Asia" allowing dozens of foreign-funded dam projects across its network of rivers.
But fears over the environmental impact of the projects, which export most of their electricity to neighbouring Thailand and China, go virtually unvoiced inside the tightly controlled communist country.
Villagers across the country have been moved, some several times, to make way for dams whose benefits are mainly enjoyed outside of the country, campaigners say.
Once complete, around 90 per cent of the electricity generated by the Xe-Namnoy dam was destined for Thailand.
The remote flooded area is only accessible by helicopter and flat-bottomed boats, with roads badly damaged or completely washed away.
Rescue officials in neighbouring Thailand were reportedly stuck at the border because Laotians were slow in allowing access to the country.
South Korea is sending a relief team, President Moon Jae In's spokesman said yesterday in Seoul. "Although we are still determining the cause of the dam accident, our government must actively take part in on-site relief efforts without delay as our companies were involved in the construction of the dam," Mr Moon was quoted as saying.
Two South Korean companies involved in the $1.2 billion project said damage was reported a day before the dam collapsed following heavy rain.
SK Engineering & Construction said it discovered that the upper part of the structure had washed away at around 9 pm on Sunday.
"We immediately alerted the authorities and began evacuating villagers downstream," it said in a statement.
The government was warned about further damage to the dam at around noon, prompting an official evacuation order for villagers downstream, and the structure collapsed a few hours later, it said.
The 410 megawatt capacity plant was supposed to start commercial operations by 2019.
The project consists of a series of dams over the Houay Makchanh, the Xe-Namnoy and the Xe-Pian rivers. - AFP
Laos dam disaster: Singapore Red Cross pledges $50,000, starts appeal
Singapore Red Cross (SRC) has said it will pledge $50,000 in humanitarian aid to affected communities after the hydropower dam collapse in Laos.
It has also launched a public fund-raising appeal and will send a three-man team to Laos today, SRC said in a statement yesterday.
The team will work with Lao Red Cross Society and deliver relief supplies to about 1,000 families. It will also conduct on-the-ground assessments to determine urgent needs.
Donations raised will fund the purchase and distribution of relief items, including first-aid supplies, blankets and mats for survivors and other disaster relief and recovery efforts, SRC added.
Said SRC secretary general and chief executive Benjamin William: "We are deeply concerned for the survivors, and plans are already in motion for SRC to provide immediate response.
"Our first priority is to address the urgent needs and to provide support to the homeless. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and work with our partners to render appropriate aid in this challenging time.
"With continued rain and strong winds predicted for the next few days, there is much uncertainty surrounding the situation at this point."
Donations can be made at Red Cross House, 15 Penang Lane, Singapore 238486, from Monday to Friday between 9am and 6pm.
Cheques can be made payable to "Singapore Red Cross Society" and posted to the above address.
Donors are requested to leave their name, postal address and indicate "Laos Flood 2018" at the back of their cheque.
Online donation via POSB/DBS Internet Banking and PayLah will be available next week.
Donors are reminded that donations to overseas efforts are not tax-deductible.
- THE STRAITS TIMES
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now