Laos dam collapse: 'hundreds missing' after villages flooded

[muriel_volestrangler]

Source: The Guardian

Hundreds of people are missing after a hydroelectric dam broke in southern Laos, the state news has reported.

Five billion cubic metres of water swept through the surrounding countryside after the accident at the Xepian-Xe Nam Noy hydropower dam, which is still under construction.

The dam collapsed at 8pm on Monday night. The neighbouring villages of Yai Thae, Hinlad, Mai, Thasengchan, Tha Hin, and Samong bore the brunt of flooding, which has reportedly destroyed thousands of homes.
...
Several people have been confirmed dead, and more than 6,600 made homeless, the official news agency KPL reported.



Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jul/24/laos-dam-collapse-hundreds-missing

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Brief video at the link - the whole area is flooded to several feet. Without warning, huge amounts of people may have been trapped and died.

[orangecrush]

1. Terrible.

Saddened to hear this.

[forgotmylogin]

2. ...

[denbot]

3. :

[Stuart G]

4. Horrific. k and r

[muriel_volestrangler]

5. Laos dam collapse: Survivors and NGOs query official toll

The death toll from the dam collapse in Laos could be much higher than the official figure of 27, local people and aid agencies have told the BBC.

Few details of the rescue operation are being released by the Laotian authorities - but a BBC team managed to gain brief access to the site and survivors, despite a ban on foreign media.
...
Government statistics say 27 people have been killed and 131 people are missing - but aid agencies believe the country may be downplaying the scale of the disaster and the final death toll may be considerably higher.

Local residents told the BBC that they believed as many as 300 people may have lost their lives.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-44971342