Rescue workers and all those present at the site of the accident at DaDang-Da Chomo hydropower plant burst into tears - for joy, when 12 alivevictims were brought out from the collapsed tunnel where they had beentrapped for 81 hours.
At 4:30 pm on December 19, the victimsone by one appeared at the tunnel mouth, some walking by themselves andsome on stretchers.
The tunnel at the hydro power plant in Latcommune, Lac Duong district, Central Highlands Lam Dong province, cavedin at 7:30am of December 16 when 32 workers were inside to do their job.Only 20 were able to escape outside, while 12, including a woman, weretrapped inside, separated from the outside world by a 35m-long mass ofstone and soil.
The section is about 500 metres from theopening of the 720m-long tunnel running though the mountain to bringwater to the plant.
Colonel Nguyen Huu Hung, Deputy Chief ofStaff of the Defence Ministry’s Arm of Sappers and commander of rescueefforts at the site, said rescuers started digging a small tunnel to theleft of the collapsed one on December 18. Luckily, they reached thesection behind the collapsed portion after digging only 14 metres.
Earlier, they planned to dig two tunnels on both sides of the collapsed one to rescue the victims, he added.
LieutenantNguyen Van Tien from Battalion 32 of the Arm of Sappers’ Brigade 293was the first person to meet the trapped workers.
He said aftersuccessfully reaching the section where the workers were stranded,rescuers waded through water for some 20 metres deep into the tunnel andshouted for the victims. Then they heard a cry for help and saw aworker walking to them.
Earlier, rescue forces drilled severalholes into the tunnel to pump oxygen and provide food, clothes, andother items to support the victims. More than 500 people were involvedin the rescue mission.
Work on the Da Dang-Da Chomo project inLac Duong district kicked off in 2003. The 475 billion VND (22.6 millionUSD) plant, invested by the Civil Engineering Construction Corp. No. 5(CIENCO 5), is designed to have a capacity of 22 MW.-VNA
At 4:30 pm on December 19, the victimsone by one appeared at the tunnel mouth, some walking by themselves andsome on stretchers.
The tunnel at the hydro power plant in Latcommune, Lac Duong district, Central Highlands Lam Dong province, cavedin at 7:30am of December 16 when 32 workers were inside to do their job.Only 20 were able to escape outside, while 12, including a woman, weretrapped inside, separated from the outside world by a 35m-long mass ofstone and soil.
The section is about 500 metres from theopening of the 720m-long tunnel running though the mountain to bringwater to the plant.
Colonel Nguyen Huu Hung, Deputy Chief ofStaff of the Defence Ministry’s Arm of Sappers and commander of rescueefforts at the site, said rescuers started digging a small tunnel to theleft of the collapsed one on December 18. Luckily, they reached thesection behind the collapsed portion after digging only 14 metres.
Earlier, they planned to dig two tunnels on both sides of the collapsed one to rescue the victims, he added.
LieutenantNguyen Van Tien from Battalion 32 of the Arm of Sappers’ Brigade 293was the first person to meet the trapped workers.
He said aftersuccessfully reaching the section where the workers were stranded,rescuers waded through water for some 20 metres deep into the tunnel andshouted for the victims. Then they heard a cry for help and saw aworker walking to them.
Earlier, rescue forces drilled severalholes into the tunnel to pump oxygen and provide food, clothes, andother items to support the victims. More than 500 people were involvedin the rescue mission.
Work on the Da Dang-Da Chomo project inLac Duong district kicked off in 2003. The 475 billion VND (22.6 millionUSD) plant, invested by the Civil Engineering Construction Corp. No. 5(CIENCO 5), is designed to have a capacity of 22 MW.-VNA
