VIENTIANE, July 31 (Xinhua) -- Six workers have been killed and another two injured in an explosion of a pressurised oxygen cylinder at a dam construction site in central Laos.
Police are investigating the incident that claimed the lives of six Vietnamese nationals working on the Nam Ngiep 1 Hydropower Project in Borikhan district of central Borikhamxay province, Lao state-run media Vientiane Times reported on Monday.
The accident happened Friday night at the remote construction site in the mountains, 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 a hospital in Paksan, capital of the Borikhamxay province.
Of the injured, one has since returned to the camp site while the other remains in the Paksan hospital in a stable condition, said the report.
All six workers are Vietnamese nationals and worked for Song Da 5, one of the subcontractors on the project.
Managing Director of Nam Ngiep 1 Power Company (NNP1PC) 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.
NNP1 is a hydropower project with an installed capacity of 290 megawatts which is under construction in Borikhamxay and Xaysomboun provinces in central Laos.
The Project consists of the construction of two dams and two powerhouses with generators set on the Ngiep River, a branch of Mekong River.
The project is expected to complete construction by August 2018 and 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.
NNP1PC was formed by Kansai Electric Power of Japan, EGAT International of Thailand, and Lao Holding State Enterprise in April 2013 to develop, finance, construct, own and operate the Nam Ngiep 1 Hydropower Project.
