Hundreds of missing after the collapse of a Laos dam while thick mud hampers rescue operations



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Rescuers fought against thick mud and floodwaters in a remote area of ​​southern Laos to find survivors of a dam that has submerged whole villages, according to one official, more than 1,100 people could always be missing. and missing the collapse of Monday's dam remains a mystery because of the complexity of the rescue operation in an inaccessible area and the secret reflexes of Communist authorities of Laos in the face of an unprecedented crisis

"The search is very complicated, being accessible by cars or boats." Meenaporn Chaichompoo, deputy secretary of the Attapeu Provincial Committee, told reporters on Friday

She also said that hundreds of others had still not been found five days after the dam.

"We can not find 1,126 people," she said, adding that 131 were brought

27 people were confirmed dead, but Meenaporn reduced to six, without explanation.

The remoteness of the disaster area and the slowness of often conflicting information made people fear e a considerable increase in the number of deaths.

An expanse of tens of kilometers long was submerged when the Xe-Namnoy Dam collapsed.

Slowly receding floodwaters cut off access to villages and covered much of the area with a thick, sticky mud

This is one of the worst [disasters] that I've ever seen. Especially because we are not a very strong country in terms of rescue operations.

Volunteer

"It's one of the worst [disasters] I have ever seen. Especially because we are not a very strong country in terms of rescue operations, "said a volunteer rescuer, asking for anonymity because he was not allowed to speak to the media.

the quality of the construction of the US $ 1.2 billion dam, a joint venture between South Korean, Laotian and Thai companies.

Operators said they died after heavy rains in a country regularly hit by monsoons. Khammany Inthirath said the bad design contributed to the accident, according to the state media.

SK Engineering & Construction, one of the Korean companies involved in the project, said that she was investigating the cause of the dam failure. The accident has sparked criticism of Laos' ambitious damming program, which claims to become a major exporter of electricity, posing as the "battery of Asia" with more $ 5 million. Villagers complained of being displaced, while crucial river waters for fishing and agriculture were diverted, thus destroying livelihoods in one of the poorest countries of the world. Asia

. "Most of the dams are built by foreign companies and the Lao authorities do not have the knowledge and expert management to check for weaknesses or problems, that's our concern," he said. said the villager Si Wonghajak. 19659021] window.fbAsyncInit = function () {
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