Heavy monsoon rains have caused a dam to overflow in central Myanmar, displacing tens of thousands. Rescuers were working through the night to help people trapped in homes half submerged under water.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/T. Aung
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More than 50,000 people in central Myanmar were forced to evacuate their homes on Wednesday after heavy seasonal rains caused a dam to overflow.
The Swar Chaung dam spillway, which regulates the release of water, collapsed due to heavy seasonal rain, causing water to flood the rural flatland region of Bago.
No casualties have been reported so far but more than 12,600 people have taken shelter in about 30 temporary camps, Ministry of Social Welfare director Phyu Lae Lae Tun told AFP news agency.
"There are more than 14,000 households and some 63,000 people affected by the waters," she said.
The flood damaged part of a bridge on the Yangon-Mandalay highway, which links Myanmar's two biggest cities.
Deputy Minister for Construction Kyaw Linn told reporters the bridge's supporting towers were sinking.
"We will get divers to go down and check after the water levels recede," he said.
The floods have damaged a key bridge linking the cities of Yangon and MandalayImage: Getty Images/AFP/T. Aung
Residents raised concerns
According to state media, authorities had given the dam the okay following an inspection just days prior, despite residents expressing concerns about overspill.
Army chief Min Aung Hlaing said it would not be possible to control the spillway until the water flow stopped.
Heavy monsoon rains have hit Myanmar hard in recent weeks, causing widespread flash flooding that forced some 50,000 people to flee their homes.
Laos dam break and the country's hydroelectric dreams
The Xepian-Xe Nam Noy Dam in Laos has burst due to heavy rain. Hundreds of people are missing and many feared dead. Opponents of Laos's plans to become the "battery of Asia" have warned of catastrophe for years.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/U. Bernhart
Taking only what they can carry
Rescue workers helped locals flee floodwaters and the South Korean company SK Engineering & Construction, which is building the dam, said it was assisting with evacuations. Neighboring Thailand pledged to send help as well. More than 6,600 people have been forced from their homes by the surging waters.
Image: Reuters
Waiting to be rescued
Critics, such as the US-based group International Rivers, said the incident at Xepian-Xe Nam Noy, "shows the inadequacy of warning systems for the dam construction and its operators. The warning appeared to come very late and was ineffective in ensuring people had advanced notice to ensure their safety and that of their families."
Image: Reuters/ABC Laos News
Shelter from the floods
Villagers near the Xepian-Xe Nam Noy Dam were forced to take what they could of their possessions and hastily set up temporary shelters as waters surged through low-lying areas in the Attapeu provence. Laos is one of the poorest countries in Southeast Asia.
Image: Reuters
We could put them over there
Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith has been personally involved with communist Laos' plan to become the "battery of Asia" by creating a network of renewable energy power plants. Here he is seen (center) visiting a resettlement area for residents displaced by a dam site. Transparency International ranked the Lao People's Democratic Republic 135 of 180 on its 2017 Corruption Perception Index.
Protests against Laos' plans to build a network of 11 dams along the Mekong River with backing from neighboring Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam have been going on for decades. The four countries hope that energy produced by the network will drive economic growth in the region.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
See it before its gone
Laos expects to fight widespread poverty by selling electricity produced by dams such as this Nam Theun 2. Critics, however, say the government is not doing enough to help the tens of thousands of residents who will be displaced by the mega-project.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/Hoang Dinh Nam
(Yet) unspoilt nature
Water is plentiful in Laos, with many dams being built along tributaries to the Mekong River. Flooding from the breech of the Xepian-Xe Nam Noy Dam was concentrated in the Attapeu province which is known for its idyllic landscapes.
Image: picture-alliance/ANN/H. McDonald-Moniz
On the slow boat to China
The Mekong River is still one of the main travel routes connecting China and the Mekong Delta in Vietnam. Its beautiful scenery is a favorite tourist attraction. Laos' Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism said some 3.8 million tourists visited the country in 2017, bringing almost $650 million (€760 million) in revenue.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/J. Hoelzl
Cultural heritage and a massive source of energy
Critics of Laos' massive hydroelectric plans have voiced concern that a network of dams could have adverse affects on flora and fauna as well as the communities of locals that depend on the Mekong River for their livlihoods. Critics also worry the dams will not be able to cope with extreme weather like the monsoons the region experienced in 2013.
