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Hundreds of people are missing and the death toll is still unknown in Laos after A 1945-billion-dollar hydroelectric dam collapsed on Monday and spilled millions of gallons of water. Water on nearby cities.
There are "several dead and hundreds of missing," announced the official Lao agency, giving an anticipated idea of the disaster.
The dam, under construction since 2013, is located on the tributary of the Mekong in the southwestern province of Attapeu, near the border with Vietnam and Cambodia. It collapsed Monday night, releasing 5,000 million cubic meters of water, the equivalent of more than two million Olympic pools.
Map of Laos locating the hydroelectric dam that collapsed Monday evening / AFP
"The Xe-Pian Xe-Namnoy hydroelectric project collapsed," confirmed company Xe Pian -Xe Namnoy Power (PNPC), responsible for the construction of the dam. "The accident was caused by continuous rains that caused the accumulation of large amounts of water."
Dozens of houses in the flooded area were totally submerged showed aerial images filmed by rescue teams. Other images published by the official Lao agency show dozens of people, including children, huddled in houseboats.
Located in the heart of the Indochinese peninsula, the small landlocked state is the poorest country in Asia, but its ambition is to become "the battery of Southeast Asia -East".
. Residents of Laos are waiting for a rescue on a roof in a flooded area after the collapse of a hydroelectric dam (EFE).
The dam was designed to produce hydroelectric power from a stream of water that was diverted Three rivers, Houay Makchanh, Xe-Namnoy and Xe-Pian, in the southern province of Champasack in Laos. According to its website, the construction company said the project water would be dumped into the Xe Kong River before going into the Mekong River
. The hydroelectric ambitions of Laos, particularly because of the impact of dams on the Mekong River, its flora and fauna, as well as rural populations and local economies
From the air. An image taken from an aircraft of the area affected by the flood (AFP).
Currently there are several dozen dams under construction in Laos financed mainly by China. Much of its hydropower is exported to neighboring countries, particularly Thailand. According to the PNPC website, the dam, with a capacity of 410 megawatts, was to start supplying electricity in 2019 and 90% of the energy produced would be exported to Thailand.
Thailand has sent a reinforcement of rescuers, but the affected area is surrounded by a very dense forest, which could complicate operations.
Devastation. Large inhabited areas were under water in Laos after the rupture of a dam (AFP)
Some 6,600 people were affected this Tuesday evening and the authorities were trying to evacuate from the area of the incident. 19659003] "We still have no official information about the casualties or the number of casualties," said a representative from Attapeu province who requested anonymity.
The Cambodian government has declared itself ready to evacuate the inhabitants of the province. Stung Trend province, border with Laos, about 70 km from the landslide zone. A total of 53 South Korean workers who were on the scene were evacuated, Seoul reported.
Prime Minister Thonglun Sisulith suspended a government meeting and went to the site of the collapsed dam to oversee operations, according to the report. Laos KPL news agency.
Up to now, no complete environmental badessment has been carried out
Source: AFP and The New York Times
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