BANGKOK – State media say a hydroelectric dam has collapsed in southeastern Laos, leaving several people confirmed dead and hundreds missing.

The official Lao news agency KPL reported Tuesday that the Xepian-Xe Nam Noy hydropower dam in Attapeu province collapsed Monday evening, releasing large amounts of water and sweeping away houses, leaving more than more than 6,600 people homeless.

The dam was constructed by a joint venture led by South Korean companies, with Thai and Lao partners. It was scheduled to open this year, but it was unclear if it had begun operating.</s>A hydroelectric dam in southeastern Laos has collapsed, according to an Associated Press report citing state media.Several people are confirmed dead, and hundreds are missing.The official Lao news agency KPL reported on Tuesday that the Xepian-Xe Nam Noy hydropower dam in Attapeu province collapsed Monday evening, sweeping away homes and leaving more than 6,000 homeless.</s>Several people were dead and hundreds were missing Tuesday after a hydroelectric dam collapsed in southeastern Laos, state media reported.

The Xepian-Xe Nam Noy hydropower dam in Attapeu province collapsed, releasing five billion cubic meters of water in the San Sai district, according to Sky News. The water swept away several hopes, the official news agency KPL reported. More than 6,600 people were left homeless.

Video posted on the ABC Laos news Facebook page showed villages watching the water from the side of a river bank.

It’s unclear how many people died in the dam collapse.

The dam was constructed by a joint venture led by South Korean companies, with Thai and Lao partners. The structure was scheduled to open in 2019, according to Sky News. Its plan was to export 90 percent of the electricity generated to Thailand, while the rest was set to power the local grid.

Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith “suspended the planned monthly meeting of the government for August and led his Cabinet members and other senior officials to Sanamxay to monitor rescue and relief efforts being made for flood victims,” according to state media.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.</s>BANGKOK (AP) — A hydroelectric dam collapsed in southeastern Laos, leaving an unknown number of people dead and hundreds missing, state media said Tuesday.

The official Lao news agency KPL said the Xepian-Xe Nam Noy hydropower dam in Attapeu province collapsed Monday evening, releasing large amounts of water that swept away houses and made more than more than 6,600 people homeless.

The dam was constructed by a joint venture led by South Korean companies, with Thai and Lao partners. The project, scheduled to begin operating this year, was still under construction, KPL reported. It described the portion that collapsed as a “saddle dam,” which is an auxiliary dam used to hold water beyond what is held by the main dam.

Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith “suspended the planned monthly meeting of the government for August and led his Cabinet members and other senior officials to Sanamxay (district) to monitor rescue and relief efforts being made for flood victims,” KPL said. Many areas of Laos have recently been hit by flooding from seasonal rains.

Electricity from several hydroelectric dams provides a large share of Laos’ export earnings, with Thailand being a major buyer.

KPL said the Xepian-Xe Nam Noy project cost an estimated $1.02 billion.</s>BANGKOK — A hydroelectric dam collapsed in southeastern Laos, leaving an unknown number of people dead and hundreds missing, state media said Tuesday.

The official Lao news agency KPL said the Xepian-Xe Nam Noy hydropower dam in Attapeu province collapsed Monday evening, releasing large amounts of water that swept away houses and made more than more than 6,600 people homeless.

The dam was constructed by a joint venture led by South Korean companies, with Thai and Lao partners. The project, scheduled to begin operating this year, was still under construction, KPL reported. It described the portion that collapsed as a "saddle dam," which is an auxiliary dam used to hold water beyond what is held by the main dam.

Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith "suspended the planned monthly meeting of the government for August and led his Cabinet members and other senior officials to Sanamxay (district) to monitor rescue and relief efforts being made for flood victims," KPL said. Many areas of Laos have recently been hit by flooding from seasonal rains.

Electricity from several hydroelectric dams provides a large share of Laos' export earnings, with Thailand being a major buyer.

KPL said the Xepian-Xe Nam Noy project cost an estimated $1.02 billion.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>BANGKOK (AP) — State media say a hydroelectric dam has collapsed in southeastern Laos, leaving several people confirmed dead and hundreds missing.

The official Lao news agency KPL reported Tuesday that the Xepian-Xe Nam Noy hydropower dam in Attapeu province collapsed Monday evening, releasing large amounts of water and sweeping away houses, leaving more than more than 6,600 people homeless.

The dam was constructed by a joint venture led by South Korean companies, with Thai and Lao partners. It was scheduled to open this year, but it was unclear if it had begun operating.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>BANGKOK — A hydroelectric dam collapsed in southeastern Laos, leaving an unknown number of people dead and hundreds missing, state media said Tuesday.

The official Lao news agency KPL said the Xepian-Xe Nam Noy hydropower dam in Attapeu province collapsed Monday evening, releasing large amounts of water that swept away houses and made more than more than 6,600 people homeless.

The dam was constructed by a joint venture led by South Korean companies, with Thai and Lao partners. The project, scheduled to begin operating this year, was still under construction, KPL reported. It described the portion that collapsed as a "saddle dam," which is an auxiliary dam used to hold water beyond what is held by the main dam.

Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith "suspended the planned monthly meeting of the government for August and led his Cabinet members and other senior officials to Sanamxay (district) to monitor rescue and relief efforts being made for flood victims," KPL said. Many areas of Laos have recently been hit by flooding from seasonal rains.

Electricity from several hydroelectric dams provides a large share of Laos' export earnings, with Thailand being a major buyer.

KPL said the Xepian-Xe Nam Noy project cost an estimated $1.02 billion.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>A hydroelectric dam in southeastern Laos has collapsed, according to an Associated Press report citing state media.Several people are confirmed dead, and hundreds are missing.The official Lao news agency KPL reported on Tuesday that the Xepian-Xe Nam Noy hydropower dam in Attapeu province collapsed Monday evening, sweeping away homes and leaving more than 6,000 homeless.</s>BANGKOK (AP) — State media say a hydroelectric dam has collapsed in southeastern Laos, leaving several people confirmed dead and hundreds missing.

The official Lao news agency KPL reported Tuesday that the Xepian-Xe Nam Noy hydropower dam in Attapeu province collapsed Monday evening, releasing large amounts of water and sweeping away houses, leaving more than more than 6,600 people homeless.

The dam was constructed by a joint venture led by South Korean companies, with Thai and Lao partners. It was scheduled to open this year, but it was unclear if it had begun operating.</s>BANGKOK (AP) — A hydroelectric dam collapsed in southeastern Laos, leaving an unknown number of people dead and hundreds missing, state media said Tuesday.

The official Lao news agency KPL said the Xepian-Xe Nam Noy hydropower dam in Attapeu province collapsed Monday evening, releasing large amounts of water that swept away houses and made more than more than 6,600 people homeless.

The dam was constructed by a joint venture led by South Korean companies, with Thai and Lao partners. The project, scheduled to begin operating this year, was still under construction, KPL reported. It described the portion that collapsed as a "saddle dam," which is an auxiliary dam used to hold water beyond what is held by the main dam.

Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith "suspended the planned monthly meeting of the government for August and led his Cabinet members and other senior officials to Sanamxay (district) to monitor rescue and relief efforts being made for flood victims," KPL said. Many areas of Laos have recently been hit by flooding from seasonal rains.

Electricity from several hydroelectric dams provides a large share of Laos' export earnings, with Thailand being a major buyer.

KPL said the Xepian-Xe Nam Noy project cost an estimated $1.02 billion.
Heavy rains cause the Xepian-Xe Nam Noy hydropower dam in southern Laos to collapse, releasing a reported five billion cubic metres of water. As a result, 20 people are confirmed dead, over a hundred are missing, and 6,600 have been displaced.