Death toll reaches 36 in Laos dam collapse, 98 missing
Vientiane, Aug 13: The death toll in the flooding caused by a dam collapse in Laos has climbed to 36 while 98 are still missing, national daily Vientiane Times reported on Monday.
On Saturday, we found the body of a three-year-old girl, bringing the number of known fatalities to 36, including three injured people who died in hospital, Deputy Director General of the General Political Department, Lao People's Army, Phalom Linthong said.
Laos army teams and rescue teams from Singapore are scouring the area for those still missing, Xinhua news agency reported.
"The operation is not easy because many areas remain flooded after a week of rain and we are constantly encountering challenges caused by thick mud, sand, and buried objects," Linthong said.
Rescue teams from Thailand, China, the Republic of Korea, and Laos arrived on the scene, when the flood hit on July 23, to aid in the search, rescue and relief operation, the daily noted.
Camps are being set up to accommodate the homeless after lower parts of Sanam Xay district was flooded following several days of rain.
The rebuilding of roads and bridges in the disaster-hit areas is being accelerated to enable relief supplies transportation.
An under-construction saddle dam of the Xe Pian-Xe Namnoy hydropower project, invested by South Korean, Thai and Lao companies, collapsed on July 23, unleashing a large amount of water and hitting some 13 villages of Sanam Xay district.
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JD(U) supremo Nitish Kumar's son Nishant to start maiden political yatra on Sunday
Patna (PTI): JD(U) leader Nishant Kumar, whose belated political entry has shone a ray of hope on the party rattled by his father Nitish Kumar's sudden relinquishment of power, is set to launch his first public outreach programme in Bihar on Sunday.
The 45-year-old, who joined the party only last month, is scheduled to kick off his "Sadbhav Yatra" (goodwill tour) from Valmiki Nagar in West Champaran district.
The place had been chosen multiple times by his father as the starting point for numerous "yatras" during a nearly two-decade-long tenure as the chief minister of Bihar.
The party, which is still recovering from the shock of the 75-year-old leader's sudden decision to enter the Rajya Sabha, triggering fears of a diminution in political clout, has coined a catchy slogan to announce the arrival of the heir apparent.
"Jai Nishant, tay Nishant" (victory for Nishant, his rise is inevitable) is a catchphrase that can now be seen splashed on the JD(U)'s posters as well as social media handles.
On the eve of the launch of "Sadbhav Yatra", JD(U) spokesperson and MLC Neeraj Kumar told a press conference in West Champaran's headquarters of Bettiah, that "Nishant belongs to the land where Emperor Asoka was born.
Like his father, he is starting a Yatra from the land of Sage Valmiki".
"Both Valmiki and Asoka epitomised renunciation. Our supreme leader Nitish Kumar showed the same spirit of renunciation when he decided to give up the seat of power to live by his convictions," said Neeraj Kumar.
He added that "the same dispassion for power has been demonstrated by Nishant. He could have secured a berth in the new Cabinet or the state legislature any time. But he chose to shun shortcuts and earn his spurs through the tried and tested method of mass contact".
After the JD(U) supremo stepped down as chief minister, a new government headed by BJP leader Samrat Choudhary has been formed in Bihar.
"Nitish Kumar had always followed the policy of zero tolerance for crime, corruption and communalism. The new government, too, has adopted the same as its motto. In Nishant, we have a leader who will carry forward the legacy," said Neeraj Kumar.
