Vientiane (VNA) - Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith said on July 25 that 131 peopleare still missing after the Sepien-Senamnoi hydropower dam collapsed in southern Laos earlier this week.

The damcollapse has already affected 13 villages and is now affecting six others asthe flood is still flowing, he said, noting that 587 families with 3,060 peoplehave been made homeless.

The leader tolda press conference on the day that all villagers stranded onroofs of submerged houses or on trees had been moved to safety.

Rescuers have also providedhealth check-ups, along with tents, clothes, food, water and medicine for thevictims, he added.

According to the PM, the dam collapseis the first time Lao people have suffered such an impactful disaster in recentdecades.

Heavy rains caused water tobreach the dam of the under-construction Sepien-Senamnoi hydropower dam, triggering flash floods in several villages, hesaid.

At a meeting on July 25, the Laogovernment decided to set up a working group led by PM Thongloun Sisoulith and representatives fromministries and agencies.

The group will evaluate losses, trace thecause of the dam collapse and work with the main investor of the project toidentify the responsibility of stakeholders in settling the incident, he said.

The Lao Government leader pledged that hewill monitor the settlement, and used the occasion to thank foreign governmentsand people, as well as international organisations, for their sympathy andsupport.

He also called on Laos residents to monitorweather conditions and stand ready to prepare for all possible situations.


The Sepien-Senamnoi hydropower dam collapsed at 20:00 on July 23, releasing 5 billioncu.m of water which completely isolated Sanamxay district. Five out ofSanamxay district’s villages, namely May, Hinlath, Nhaythe Sanong Tay,Thasengchan and Thahin, have been fully submerged.

Being constructed by the Sepien-Senamnoi Power Company (PNPC), the 410 MW hydroelectric power projectis located in the southern region of Laos, according towww.power-technology.com.

PNPC is a joint-venture formed in March 2012 bySK Engineering and Construction (SK E&C), Korea Western Power (KOWEPO),Ratchaburi Electricity Generating Holding (RATCH) and Lao Holding StateEnterprise (LHSE). SK E&C holds a 24 percent stake in PNPC, LHSE 26 percentand RATCH and KOWEPO equally split the remaining share in the project.

The project, which is estimated to cost 1.02billion USD, is the first build-operate-transfer (BOT) project to be undertakenby Korean companies in Laos.

Construction of the project began in February2013 and commercial operations were expected to begin this year.

On July 25, Vietnamese Ambassador to LaosNguyen Ba Hung handed over about 2,200 USD to the Lao Ministry of Labour andSocial Welfare to support the victims.

The donation was contributed by the staffof the Vietnamese Embassy and its agencies in Laos.

Lao Deputy Minister of Labour and SocialWelfare Baykham Khattiya said the donation demonstrates the solidarity betweenVietnamese and Lao people to overcome difficulties.

Later the same day, representatives of theGeneral Association of Vietnamese People in Laosand the Vietnamese Association in Vientianealso presented 50 million LAK (about 5,950 USD) to victims.

Cao Anh Son, General Director of Vietnam’s StarTelecom Company donated 300 million LAK (35,700 USD) to help affected residents.

Also on July25, the Thai government delivered 5 million THB (about 147,000 USD) grant aidvia the Lao Ambassador to Thailand Seng Soukhathivong.

In addition tothe money, the Thai government is also providing drinking water, food, medicineand tents for the flood victims in Attapeu province.

SK Engineering &Construction Co, which holds a 26 percent stake in the Sepien-Senamnoi hydropower plant project,said on July 25 that it will commit all available resources torespond to the flooding.

Earlier, RoK President MoonJae-in dispatched an emergency relief team tohelp victims of the dam collapse. -VNA