Helicopters rescue 24 Vietnamese workers isolated after Laos dam collapse

On the morning of July 25, Mr. Nguyen Nhat Hoa - Director of Dai Thang Agricultural Development Company Limited (under Hoang Anh Gia Lai Group) said that 24 workers and 2 children are still safe. They will be rescued by helicopter this afternoon.

Before the Xe Pian-Xe Namnoy hydroelectric dam collapsed (8 p.m. on July 23), Dai Thang Company did not receive warning information from the local authorities, so it did not evacuate people. Fortunately, when the incident occurred, the workers had returned to their house on the farm located on the hill.

"The water from the dam overflows to the hill and separates into two fast-flowing streams.carried away a lot of rocks and soil"Everyone is safe but isolated," Mr. Hoa said.

Nearly 2 hours later, when Mr. Hoa and his company's staff arrived at the farm, they saw a vast expanse of water. From above, the water carried trees, rocks... down, making "rumbling" sounds. Everything around was chaotic and devastated, people's houses were submerged in water.

"Working in Laos since 2006, this is the first time I have seen such a terrible scene. I am still haunted," he said.The area around the scene is being blocked off. Authorities including police and military... are not allowing anyone to get close to the danger zone. People are being evacuated to two schools, 6 km from the scene.

According to Mr. Hoa, the construction hill is about 500 meters as the crow flies from the dam break. On the top are many dormitories for workers."The place where the workers are still trapped has enough water, food and telephones for communication. At first, everyone was a bit scared, insecure and worried, but when they learned that the corporation was hiring a helicopter to rescue them, everyone felt reassured," said Mr. Hoa.

According to the plan, Hoang Anh Gia Lai Group will rent helicopters from Laos from the capital.Vientianeto the workers. Travel time is about 5 hours.The rescue was carried out at 12:30 today and lasted for an hour.

Specifically, mEach time the plane goes to the farm, it can pick up 6 people, the round trip is about 10 km as the crow flies, taking 15 minutes. There will be 4 trips in total. When the workers are brought to the safe zone, they will be taken care of to stabilize their mental state, then supported with money and sent home by car.

Mr. Nguyen Duy Quan (Consular Counselor, Embassy of Vietnam in Laos) said this morning that the Vietnamese community living in Attapeu province is safe after the Xe Pian - Xe Namnoy dam collapse. "All 15 families in the affected area are safe," he said.

Currently, officials from the Vietnamese Consulate General in Pakxe are present in Sanamxay district, where the dam collapse occurred, and will work with local authorities to handle related issues. The Vietnamese Embassy in Laos is also coordinating with local authorities to carry out citizen protection work if any Vietnamese are affected.

Meanwhile,Military Region 5 Commanddirected the 206th National Defense Economic Group and the Search Team of the Kon Tum Provincial Military Command (on duty in the neighboring country)Coordinate with functional forces to search for missing people; allocate 250 million VND to buy initial relief materials for victims. Kon Tum Military Command has prepared forces and vehicles ready to go to the neighboring country to supportupon order of the Ministry.

On the night of July 23, the Xe Pian - Xe Namnoy hydroelectric dam broke, sending a huge amount of water pouring downstream. Attapeu provincial authorities said that 17 bodies had been recovered and many villagers were still missing, thousands of people were homeless. Meanwhile,BBCCiting private sources, at least 20 people were killed and 100 people were missing.

According to the Vientiane Times Facebook account, seven villages with 1,300 households and more than 6,000 people are still submerged in floodwaters after the dam burst.Lao rescue forces used helicopters and boats to evacuate stranded people, calling on government agencies and communities to provide emergency aid with clothes, food, drinking water and medicine to people in affected areas.

The hydropower project, constructed by Laos' PNPC, includes three dams on branches of the Mekong River. The project, with a total cost of 1.02 billion USD, started in February 2013, is 90% completed and is expected to be operational in 2019. The plant has a designed capacity of 410 megawatts, of which 90% of the electricity will be exported to Thailand, the rest will be connected to the local grid.

The collapsed auxiliary dam is part of a network of three main dams and five auxiliary dams in the Xe Pian - Xe Namnoy hydropower dam project, which is being managed by contractors from Thailand, South Korea and Laos.

The first crack was discovered on the dam on July 22, said the South Korean contractor, SK Engineering & Construction. By 9 p.m. the same day, the dam was partially damaged, the contractor issued a warning to the authorities, and villagers near the dam began to evacuate. A team of engineers was sent to reinforce the crack on the dam but encountered many difficulties due to heavy rain.