BANGKOK -- Thailand's state-owned enterprise Ratchaburi Electricity Generating Holding said Tuesday unexpected heavy rains caused a dam in southern Laos to collapse, reportedly killing at least several people in the area and leaving hundreds unaccounted for.
The hydropower dam under construction on a Mekong River tributary in southern Laos collapsed late Monday, flooding neighboring villages with as much as five billion cubic meters of water, according to local media. The operator of the Xe-Pian Xe-Namnoy Hydroelectric Power Project is a joint venture between multinational companies such as Ratchaburi, South Korea's SK Engineering and Construction, Korea Western Power and Lao Holding State Enterprise.
