Scrambling to bring relief
Rescuers rushed aid to thousands of homeless following the collapse of a hydroelectric dam in Laos but not enough of it is getting through.
SANAMXAI: Troops searched for survivors in the remote southern tip of Laos, three days after the collapse of a hydropower dam sent a torrent of water across paddy fields and through villages.
The scale of the disaster was still unclear, in part because of the inaccessibility of the area, but also because reports from the communist country’s state media have been scant.
The official Laos News Agency said about 26 people were confirmed dead and more than 130 were missing following the failure of the XeNamno dam in Attapeu province on Monday, a subsidiary structure under construction as part of a hydroelectric project.
The Vientiane Times reported onWednesday that more than 3,000 were awaiting rescue from swirling floodwaters.
But yesterday, the newspaper cited Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith as saying only one person had been found dead and all those who sought shelter on trees and rooftops of submerged houses had been rescued.
“His comment corrected misinformation carried by many media outlets that reported more deaths,” it said, adding that 3,060 people had been made homeless by the disaster.
A situation report from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said roads and bridges were damaged and eight villages had been hit by flash floods.
It said boat and helicopter were the only means of transport in the affected areas, adding that schools in safe areas were being used as evacuation centres and about 1,300 families needed tents for shelter.
On the road to the small town of Sanamxai in the worsthit area, Reuters saw Norwegian People’s Aid trucks carrying aid, including fresh water and blankets.
Phra Ajan Thanakorn, a Buddhist monk, said he had delivered food and medicine in four pickup trucks that had come from the capital Vientiane and was heading back there to load up with more.
“The situation is really bad. All the relief efforts are at Sanamxai. They are still lacking food, medicine, and coffins,” he said.
Laos, one of Asia’s poorest countries, has ambitions to become the “battery of Asia” through the construction of multiple dams.
Rights groups have repeatedly warned against the human and environmental cost of the dam drive, including damage to the fragile ecosystem of the region’s rivers. — Reuters