After assessing the recent hydroelectric dam collapse following heavy rains, the government of Laos says the tragedy was not due to a natural disaster and has called for compensation for the victims.

After assessing the recent hydroelectric dam collapse following heavy rains, the government of Laos says the tragedy was not due to a natural disaster and has called for compensation for the victims. The prime minister said the flood was caused by a fracture in the dam. Meanwhile, the Laos energy minister said that substandard construction and unexpected heavy rain are believed to be the cause of the tragedy that left at least 13 people dead and over a hundred still missing. However the dam's builder, SK Engineering and Construction, says heavy rains are more to blame, citing over one thousand millimeters of precipitation during a ten day period.