Laos dam disaster leaves 24 dead, scores missing

ATTAPEU, Laos -- Rescuers searched Wednesday for scores of villagers left missing when part of a newly built hydroelectric dam broke in southeastern Laos, flooding the surrounding countryside and killing at least 24 people, officials said.

Thousands of people lost their homes when the South Korean-built dam gave way Monday, flooding surrounding villages.

Hundreds took shelter in nearby towns, traveling by bus and pickup trucks and sleeping on plastic sheeting.

"The water came so quick we just left the house and ran away," said Phon Vuongchonpu, whose family of 12 fled as the floodwater rose to roof level. "We've lost everything: motorbike, furniture our cows and pigs."

Bounyong Phommachak, a Red Cross official, said 24 bodies had been recovered and 96 people were officially listed as missing. He said by phone about 6,600 people had been displaced from their homes.

China's state news agency, Xinhua, which maintains one of the very few foreign news bureaus in Laos, reported Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith said at a news conference 131 people were missing and the homeless totaled 3,060. He did not give a death toll.

The discrepancies in the tolls could be due to difficult communications and heavy rains in the area which have hampered rescue efforts.

Photos and videos posted on social media showed people sitting on rooftops to escape the surging water, while others were carried to safety or rescued by boat.

One of five auxiliary earth-fill dams at the project began visibly weakening Friday, said Korea Western Power, one of two South Korean partners in the hydroelectric project.

SK Engineering & Construction, the other Korean joint venture partner, said the top of the dam was swept away Sunday as workers were struggling to control the damage amid heavy rain. The situation worsened on Monday as water cascaded out of the reservoir, flooding seven out of 12 villages in the area, SK E&C said. It was helping to evacuate and rescue residents and sent its president and a team of 30 people to the disaster zone.

Continued heavy rain and strong winds forecast for the area could hinder rescue efforts, and risks from flooding persisted in the mountainous region. A report by the intergovernmental Mekong River Commission said storms had caused water levels along the river to rise by up to 15 feet in the past week.

Provincial authorities issued a call for emergency aid, and residents in Paksong were streaming to the evacuation shelter bringing food, as doctors attended to those needing help.

"I feel safe here, but worry for my husband and son who are still in the village," said Tem Namsakhunpiraded, who escaped the floodwaters with three of her children and a 6-month-old grandchild.