Helicopter sent to help in Lao dam collapse disaster

Hoang Anh Gia Lai JSC have sent a team to Laos and hired a helicopter to rescue 26 workers who are trapped when the Xepian-Xe Nam Noy hydropower dam burst.

Hoang Anh Gia Lai JSC have sent a team to Laos and hired a helicopter to rescue 26 workers who are trapped in a rubber plantation when the Xepian-Xe Nam Noy hydropower dam burst.

  

The dam broke on July 23 and caused a severe flash flood in Laos

Hoang Anh Gia Lai chairman Doan Nguyen Duc said the helicopter was unable to take off in the morning due to the flood and heavy rain. Nguyen Nhat Hoa, director of Dai Thang Company, a subsidiary of Hoang Anh Gia Lai JSC, said the workers, included 25 Laotians and one Vietnamese, were in good health and happy when hearing they would be rescued soon.

Hoang Anh Gia Lai JSC already completed the deal with a Lao company to send a helicopter from Vientiane to save the workers.

There were no signs of the flood receding in high-lying areas yet. It was initially reported that 28 people had died, however, the figure was revised to include 18 bodies that have been found and 200 people still missing.

The dam is part of the Xepian Xe-Namnoy hydroelectric power project in Attapeu Province, which is a collaborative project between Laotian, Thai and South Korean firms. It is estimated to cost USD1.2bn and has a capacity of 410 MW. It was built in 2013 and expected to be completed in 2019.

The dam broke on July 23 and caused a severe flash flood in the area.