LAOS DAM COLLAPSE: Survivors recount the horror

At around 8 p.m. on July 23, 2018, a saddle dam at the Xe Pian–Xe Namnoy hydropower complex in southern Laos collapsed, releasing millions of cubic metres of water and triggering catastrophic flooding downstream. Entire villages in Attapeu Province were swept away within minutes, leaving dozens dead, many missing, and thousands displaced. Survivors described a sudden wall of water that arrived with little warning, destroying homes, farmland, and livelihoods.

In the years since the disaster, investigations and reporting have raised serious questions about dam safety, oversight, and accountability, as well as the broader risks posed by large hydropower projects across the Mekong region. While compensation and relocation programmes were announced, many affected families have faced prolonged uncertainty, with ongoing concerns about inadequate housing, loss of land, and the long-term social and economic consequences of the collapse.

In the aftermath of the disaster, I worked on a video and photo series documenting the experiences of survivors, spending time with families as they recounted the events of that night. The work was published by The South China Morning Post.