VIENTIANE, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- A total of 700 houses were handed over Wednesday to victims of a collapsed dam in southern Laos' Attapeu province.

According to a Lao National Radio report on Wednesday, an official delivery ceremony was held in Sanamxay district of Attapeu province, some 560 km southeast of the Lao capital Vientiane.

The dam's operator is funding the construction of the 700 houses for people who were made homeless by the flooding.

The construction of new dwellings began in July 2020, costing over 24 million U.S. dollars.

The first handover ceremony took place in April 2021, with 153 houses allocated to families who lost their homes during the catastrophic flood. Another 352 houses were handed over to the residents one year later.

Following the collapse of the dam at the Xe-Pian Xe-Namnoy hydropower plant on July 23 in 2018, homeless families were initially accommodated in tents and shelters before moving into the temporary housing in Sanamxay district in 2018.

The flood triggered by the dam's collapse killed over 40 people with many more going missing, while thousands of others were left homeless. Several villages were wiped out by the flood.

In July, the Lao National Assembly approved a new law on dam safety, which sets out specific guidelines and measures to regulate the construction and operation of hydropower plants in Laos.

The new law will ensure that dams are built in compliance with strict standards and that they are closely monitored to maintain safety. Enditem

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