Hundreds missing, several dead

Hundreds of people are missing after the explosion of a dam in Laos, Southeast Asia. The dam of a hydropower plant under construction in Attapeu province, in the southeastern part of the country, exploded on Monday night (local time) and flooded the region with five billion cubic meters of electricity. water, reported Tuesday the Laos news agency. According to him, there were several deaths, no other details were given.

The Xepian-Xe Nam Noy dam in the south-east of the country was already broken Monday night. More than five billion cubic meters of water would have drained from the reservoir and would have spilled out of six villages. In addition, more than 6,000 people became homeless.

Aerial photographs showed widespread flooding. The authorities have taken the residents to safety, but according to a report by the Laotian Times, thousands of people have been blocked. The water level continued to increase due to monsoon rains. The communist provincial government has asked the public for supplies such as clothing, food, clean water and medicines, as well as donations. Soldiers Distribute Aid

Socialist Laos is one of the poorest countries in Southeast Asia. According to the World Bank, about one-fifth of the population lives on less than $ 2 a day. The construction of the dam project of about 870 million euros had started in 2013 and, from this year, the dam should produce electricity. The communist country is considered authoritarian.

Laos wants to raise to the "energy cell of Southeast Asia". Most of the energy produced in its hydropower plants is exported to poor countries and internationally isolated from neighboring countries, especially Thailand. Environmental organizations have long warned against the negative consequences of the construction of dams in Laos. In particular, they criticize the effects on the fauna and flora of the Mekong and warn against the serious consequences for the local population, for example by mbadive relocations.

Shortly before the burst of the dam, a senior employee of the operational company would have warned. A letter sent to local authorities, also shared on social media, should prove it. The letter therefore also suggests evacuation. The authorities have not confirmed the authenticity of this letter.

A Thai company involved in the project blamed heavy rains for the disaster. The rains caused cracks, reported the Thai press citing the Ratchaburi settlement.

The region is currently raging. In neighboring Vietnam, 29 people lost their lives in the storm caused by Hurricane "Son-Tinh". Ten people are still missing. The typhoon hit the land last week in northern Vietnam