Da Dang hydroelectric tunnel collapse: Drilling through concrete, pumping oxygen into the tunnel.
At just after 7:00 AM on December 16th, a tunnel collapse occurred at the Da Dang - Da Chomo hydroelectric dam construction site in Pang Tieng village, Lat commune, Lac Duong district, Lam Dong province, trapping 11 people.
The Chairman of the People's Committee of Lam Dong province is directly supervising the rescue operation.
The accident occurred when workers were erecting a steel arch for pouring concrete inside the tunnel when the outer section suddenly collapsed. According to a representative of Song Da 505 Joint Stock Company - the construction unit - the number of people trapped inside the tunnel may be 12, instead of 11 as initially reported, including one female worker. The collapsed section of the tunnel is estimated to be about 300m from the tunnel entrance and is approximately 10m long.
Immediately after the incident occurred, Mr. Doan Van Viet, Chairman of the Lam Dong Provincial People's Committee, was present at the scene, directly directing relevant agencies to implement rescue plans. Currently, rescue forces are trying to drill through the collapsed area, pump oxygen into the tunnel, and then continue to excavate the buried earth and rocks to gradually reach the victims.
Rescue efforts are being carried out with utmost urgency.
Mr. Doan Van Viet stated: “This is the first time in Lam Dong that we have encountered situations like this, so we had to discuss and agree on a solution. We have now agreed on several solutions, firstly to provide air to the workers, and then to use other methods to bring them to safety. Everyone is working with utmost responsibility and urgency, and we hope that with such determination, we will effectively resolve this accident.”
As of 3 PM today, there is still no information regarding the victims trapped in the hydroelectric tunnel. Authorities have not yet been able to reach the victims.
The Da Dang – Da Chomo hydroelectric project has a total capacity of 22 MW, with a total investment of over 475 billion VND under the BOO (build-own-operate) model. This is a hydroelectric project consisting of two interconnected plants: the Da Dang hydroelectric plant located on the Da Dang River, in Lat commune, Lac Duong district, and the Da Chomo hydroelectric plant on the Da Chomo stream, a tributary of the Da Dang River, in Phi To commune, Lam Ha district, Lam Dong province.
We will continue to provide updates on this matter.
According to VOV
