HANOI: Heavy rains triggered by the remnants of Typhoon Matmo led to the partial collapse of the Bac Khe 1 hydropower dam in Lạng Son Province on Tuesday (Oct 7), forcing the evacuation of hundreds of residents in downstream areas. No casualties have been reported.
A section of the Bac Khe 1 hydropower dam in Lang Son Province collapsed at noon on Tuesday, sending torrents of water into the operation centre and downstream areas, highlighting the urgent impact of Typhoon Matmo’s heavy rainfall.
The breach, about 10m wide, occurred in Kim Dong Commune following days of persistent rain caused by the circulation of storm No. 11.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Nguyen Hoang Hiep said he was travelling to Lang Son to direct the emergency response. Fortunately, no loss of life has been reported.
According to initial reports from the provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment, local authorities had proactively evacuated residents from vulnerable areas before the dam broke.
The incident occurred at around 1.30pm in Kim Dong Commune. Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Doan Thanh Son is overseeing on-site operations.
Support efforts are underway for residents in downstream areas.
Leaders of Tan Tien Commune confirmed that all residents living downstream have been safely relocated.
Earlier that morning, inspection teams had detected cracks and signs of instability in the dam structure, prompting the evacuation of around 200–300 households from four hamlets downstream.
The Bac Khe 1 facility is a small hydropower plant with a reservoir capacity of three to four million cubic metres. While the breach released large volumes of water, officials said the incident is unlikely to cause flash floods or landslides.
However, flooding may affect several nearby communes already inundated by persistent heavy rains.
Between 7pm on Sunday and 7pm on Monday, rainfall in Mau Son reached 205mm, while Quyet Thang recorded 195mm between 7pm on Monday and 7am on Tuesday.
The continuous inflow of water into the reservoir raised levels sharply, placing pressure on the dam before it gave way. - Vietnam News/ANN
