Dam burst sweeps 2 people away in Vietnam

By Bennett Murray

HANOI (AA) - Two people were confirmed missing in Vietnam overnight after a tropical storm powering through Southeast Asia caused a hydroelectric dam to burst in the country's central regions.

The break at the Bung River 2 hydroelectricity plant in Quang Nam province caused around 28 million cubic metres of water to be simultaneously released, reported the local Toui Tre newspaper Wednesday.

The resulting water surge swept away two workers and forced the evacuation of 400 households downstream.

Tropical Storm Rai made landfall at Da Nang Tuesday morning before moving westward toward Laos and Thailand, where the Meteorological Department has issued a warning to people in 34 provinces in the north, northeast and east to brace for heavy rain and winds.

In addition to the missing dam workers, Vietnamese authorities reported seven injured, 280 houses damaged and four ships sunk.