Laos dam collapse death toll rises to 31
BANGKOK: The death toll from a massive dam collapse in southern Laos has jumped to 31, officials said, with scores still missing weeks after the unprecedented disaster that swept villages and farmland away.
Information about the number of dead and missing has trickled out of the disaster zone since the July 23 dam collapse in the secretive state unaccustomed to organising largescale rescue operations – and the global media scrutiny the deadly disaster has drawn.
An official in southern Attapeu province said the death toll had climbed and scores were still missing weeks after the dam burst, unleashing a wall of water across a large swathe of the province.
“Over the past day, teams have put the death toll at 31 while the number of missing is at 130,” Ounla Xayasith, the deputy governor of Attapeu, told reporters on Sunday.
The number of dead and missing has fluctuated wildly since the disaster, with officials and state media offering conflicting information in the days after the dam burst.
The US$1.2bil (RM4.89bil) dam – a joint venture between South Korean, Laotian and Thai firms – broke after heavy rains, submerging about a dozen villages in one of Laos’ poorest provinces.
Homes and farms were washed away instantly and panicked residents ran into the forest or onto rooftops seeking safety after they were given little warning of the impending deluge.