The accident happened around 3 a.m. on December 31 during the construction of the spillway section at the Dak Mi 1 Hydropower Plant.

Four workers from two different construction units fell into a deep water pit upstream of the dam, and one additional worker was struck by falling rocks.

Rescue efforts began immediately, with divers searching for the missing workers. However, the rescue operation faced significant challenges due to the five-meter water depth and cold weather conditions.

By 10 a.m. the same day, the bodies of three workers had been recovered.

Authorities and the construction company are currently working to pump water from the upstream reservoir to aid in the search for the remaining two workers.

The victims have been identified as:

Ha Van Son, 30 years old
Kha Van Khay, 26 years old
Ngan Van Long, 32 years old
Luong Van Hung, 20 years old
(All hailing from Nghe An Province and employed by Dung Phuc Loc Company.)

The fifth victim, A Tuat, 24 years old, is a resident of Dak Lay Hamlet, Dak Choong Commune, and worked for Nguyen Duoc Company.

The Dak Mi 1 Hydropower Plant, located in Dak Choong Commune, has a planned capacity of 84 MW and an investment of over 3,500 billion VND (approximately $144.6 million).

Construction began in 2009, but the project remains incomplete and is not yet operational.

Tran Hoan