Death toll reaches 36 in Laos dam collapse, 98 missing

The death toll in the flooding caused by a dam collapse in Laos has climbed to 36 while 98 are still missing, national daily Vientiane Times reported on Monday.

On Saturday, we found the body of a three-year-old girl, bringing the number of known fatalities to 36, including three injured people who died in hospital, Deputy Director General of the General Political Department, Lao People's Army, Phalom Linthong said.

Laos army teams and rescue teams from Singapore are scouring the area for those still missing, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The operation is not easy because many areas remain flooded after a week of rain and we are constantly encountering challenges caused by thick mud, sand, and buried objects," Linthong said.

Rescue teams from Thailand, China, the Republic of Korea, and Laos arrived on the scene, when the flood hit on July 23, to aid in the search, rescue and relief operation, the daily noted.

Camps are being set up to accommodate the homeless after lower parts of Sanamxay district was flooded following several days of rain.

The rebuilding of roads and bridges in the disaster-hit areas is being accelerated to enable relief supplies transportation.

An under-construction saddle dam of the Xe Pian-Xe Nam Noy hydropower project, invested by South Korean, Thai and Lao companies, collapsed on July 23, unleashing a large amount of water and hitting some 13 villages of Sanamxay district.

--IANS

mag/sed