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By Agence France-Presse
The torrent of water that was unleashed in a deadly collapse of the dam Laos poured into Cambodia, forcing thousands of people to evacuate, as rescuers On Thursday, monsoon rains ravaged Laotians missing after entire villages were washed away.
near the collapsed dam returned to the flooded villages to save what # 39, they may debris (AFP / MANILA BULLETIN)
Twenty-seven people have been confirmed dead, of which 131 are still missing, after the Monday's collapse of the Xe-Namnoy Dam. a remote corner of southern Laos, leaving the villagers with little time to escape.
It is an unprecedented accident to hit the hydroelectric industry in Laos, where the communist government has stemmed much of its innumerable water courses. The search and rescue effort entered a third day on Thursday, with China, Vietnam and Thailand sending specialists, while villagers picked up in their homes destroyed and covered with mud
Carcasses of Livestock have floated in the waters up to the knees of a devastated village visited by AFP because heavy rains have hit the area.
Thousands of villagers downstream in Cambodia were also forced to flee. Once retained by the dam, it sank to the south.
"The water continues to rise, hence more people will be evacuated," said AFP Men Kong, a Cambodian government spokesman in the province of Stung Streng. Chinese rescuers in rescue gear and helmets joined the local soldiers in search of the missing on Thursday. According to an AFP journalist at the scene, community volunteers broke into private boats to return to villages still submerged.
Residents recalled their terror when the water went through their homes
Tran Van Bien, 47 years old The village of Ban Mai, near the ruined dam, said that he had been told to evacuate only two hours before the barrage burst Monday evening, running towards the house of a neighbor with his family while his house was quickly filled with water
from this house all night, cold and frightened. At 4 o'clock in the morning, a wooden boat passed and we decided to send my wife and my child, "he told AFP from a nearby town where he finally found the dry land
.If they died, they would die together rather than being alone. "
" Insufficient Warning "
The Xe-Namnoy Dam, a joint venture between Laos, Thai and Korean companies, Two South Korean companies involved in the construction and operation of the project said that damage had been reported one day before the collapse of the auxiliary dam Saddle D ".
However, a chronology of the operator Korea Western Power Co. obtained by AFP indicates that 11 centimeters (four inches) of subsidence were spotted at the dam center as early as Friday.
The company told AFP that she could not yet determine because of the collapse. [19659007] "It is too early to define whether there is a natural disaster or a human catastrophe," said a spokesman at AFP on Thursday.
. "If a dam plans to release water, it must coordinate with local authorities to warn people and prevent people from panicking for at least seven days (in advance)," said the Thai minister. of Energy and Mines. Khammany Inthirath announced Wednesday
The southeastern Laos is frequently hit by monsoon rains, and dam operators regularly release water from reservoirs in order to avoid overflow or overflow. collapse
The 410 MW Xe-Namnoy Project Hydroelectric projects are underway in Laos, which has come to be known as the "battery of Asia" in its ambitious attempt to become a major exporter of electricity. Electricity in the area.
Laos says it wants to double its power It has opened its doors to foreign investors – mainly from China, Thailand and Vietnam – to build dams across the country. "This tragedy has compounded their suffering," Rivers said in a statement released on Thursday.
"Communities have not received sufficient advance warning to ensure the safety and security of their families.This event raises important questions about dam standards and safety. dams in Laos. "
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