Further information on the Nam Pong hydroelectric tunnel collapse.

(Baonghean.vn) – As previously reported, at approximately 3:45 PM on August 19, 2012, a serious labor accident occurred during construction at Alley No. 3, Water Tunnel No. 1, at the Nam Pong Hydropower Plant construction site (located in Chau Hanh commune, Quy Chau district, Nghe An province) – a project being constructed by the Zhejiang (China) contractor – resulting in 2 deaths and 5 injuries, including two Chinese nationals.

The two deceased were Ho Sy Huynh (born in 1988, residing in Hamlet 3A, Quynh Loc Commune, Quynh Luu District, Nghe An Province) and Tran Van Duy (born in 1990, residing in Hamlet 1, same commune). The three injured Vietnamese individuals were identified as Hoang Van Sang (22 years old), Vi Van Thang (29 years old), and Hoang Van Van (32 years old), all residing in Dinh Tien Village, Chau Hanh Commune. All were contract workers.

Construction site of the Nam Pong hydroelectric power plant.

On the morning of August 20, 2012, relevant agencies including the Nghe An Provincial Police, the Nghe An Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, along with functional agencies in Quy Chau and the construction unit directly involved in the site, investigated to clarify the cause.

Major Vi Xuan Thuy, Deputy Head of the Quy Chau District Police, stated: The initial cause of the accident has been determined to be an explosion from dynamite blasting during tunnel construction. The injured victims, who witnessed the incident firsthand, said: As usual, during the afternoon shift, a group of seven workers (including two Chinese nationals) entered the tunnel to continue drilling holes for dynamite filling, as in normal shifts. At the aforementioned time, a sudden, violent explosion occurred at the location where the drilling machine was operating. The blast buried the area, and two Chinese workers standing next to the generator providing pressure to the drilling machine were also injured by the blast and debris.

Le Ba Lieu