VIENTIANE, Jul 21 (NNN-KPL) – Seven people are missing, in northern Laos’ Xieng Khuang province, after the ground collapsed under them, while they were drilling for gold on Sunday.
The incident occurred in Choi village, Phoukout district, in Xieng Khuang province, some 180 km north-east of the Lao capital, Vientiane, local daily Vientiane Times reported today.
The group of seven, including one woman, had drilled about 10 metres deep, when the ground collapsed, an official from the province’s Department of Information, Culture and Tourism, told the daily.
The accident followed many days of rain, so it was probably the soft ground that caused the land to cave in, he said.
Authorities have assigned local residents to help drill down and locate the bodies of the seven missing people, who are believed to be buried, he added.
People should be careful when drilling during the rainy season, because the ground may collapse, he cautioned.
Every year, landslides occur in mountainous northern provinces, after heavy rain, causing damage to roads, farmland and houses. Landslides are a perennial problem during the rainy season.
