Laos: Gas cylinder blast kills six at Borikhamxay dam construction site

Laos: Gas cylinder blast kills six at Borikhamxay dam construction site

Six workers were killed and another two injured in an explosion of a
pressurised oxygen cylinder at the construction site for the main dam of the
Nam Ngiep 1 Hydropower Project in Borikhan district of the country's central
Borikhamxay province.

Police are investigating the incident that claimed the lives of six
Vietnamese nationals working on the hydropower construction project.

The accident happened on Friday night (July 28, 2017) at around 10:00 pm,
according to the Nam Ngiep 1 Power Company.

The cylinder burst during transportation by two workers, killing three
instantly and injuring an additional five of whom three died at Pakxan
hospital.

The two injured survivors were also admitted to Pakxan hospital.

Of these, one has since returned to the camp site while the other remains in
the hospital in a stable condition.

All six workers are Vietnamese nationals and worked for Song Da 5, one of
the subcontractors on the project.

Five of the victims were from Vietnam's Nghe An province, including three
from Thanh Chuong district.

The remaining victim was from Phu Th? province's Doan Hung district,
according to a Vietnam News report published on Monday.

A memorial service for the slain workers was held on Saturday morning and
attended by the governor of Borikhamxay province, Nam Ngiep 1 Power Company
management and contractors.

The remains were returned to their families, and the accident was reported
to the Lao government, shareholders and related stakeholders.

Managing Director of Nam Ngiep 1 Power Company (NNP1PC) Mr Yoshihiro
Yamabayashi expressed heartfelt sympathies on behalf of the company and all
working on the project.

It is the most difficult time and saddest day for all of us at NNP1PC. This
is a tragic accident, and I would like to extend our deepest condolences to
the families of the deceased, the contractors, subcontractors and staff of
NNP1 Project, Mr Yoshihiro Yamabayashi said.

The cause of the accident is under investigation by the provincial police,
and civil construction works in the area have been suspended until the
situation returns to normal.

Safety is our priority, and once again I remind the issue to everyone in
NNP1PC, our contractors and subcontractors, especially at such a difficult
time.

NNP1 is a hydropower project with an installed capacity of 290 megawatts
which is under construction in Borikhamxay and Xaysomboun provinces.

The Project consists of the construction of two dams and two powerhouses
with generators set on the Ngiep River in Borikhamxay province.

The construction of the re-regulation dam has been completed.

The overall progress of the project is more than 70 percent complete as of
the end of June 2017 and is expected to be 90 percent complete by value by
the end of 2017.

Substantial early completion of the construction of the project is planned
for August 2018.

The project expects to begin to generate electricity in late 2018 or early
2019.

Approximately 95 percent of power generated will be exported to Thailand,
with the remainder slated for domestic consumption.

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Link to Original Article:
http://www.vientianetimes.org.la/FreeContent/FreeConten_Gas.htm

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John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.

www.aptthailand.com