Laos dam break and the country's hydroelectric dreams

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.

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."

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.