2nd LD writethru: three Chinese workers die, one injured at hydropower project in northern Vietnam: local official

Three Chinese workers died and one other was injured while working at a hydropower project in northern Vietnam earlier on Tuesday, a local official told Xinhua on Thursday.

Tran Quy Duc, vice chairman of Ha Giang Provincial People's Committee told Xinhua water was discharged into a conduit while four workers were working inside. Tragically the torrent swept them away.

Procedures are underway to bring the bodies of the three victims back home, Quy told Xinhua, saying the health condition of the sole survivor is "quite stable" while being treated at a Ha Giang provincial hospital.

According to local media, the three victims were aged 31, 35 and 42. The four workers were carrying out survey work for drills at the site.

The incident happened at Thuan Hoa hydro power plant in Ha Giang province bordering China in the north.

According to the website of Ha Giang government, Thuan Hoa hydro power plant with a capacity of 38 MW is being built on Mien River in Thuan Hoa commune, Vi Xuyen district, Ha Giang province, 220 km north of capital Hanoi.

Construction of the plant started on Aug. 30, 2013 and is scheduled to finish in three years. Total investment of the project is nearly 1.3 trillion Vietnamese dong (61.61 million U.S. dollars).

Investor of the project is Thuan Hoa hydro power joint stock company. A company from China is contractor of the project, reported the website of the Communist Party of Vietnam.

Once completed, the plant is expected to produce some 130 million kwh and bring some 20 billion Vietnamese dong (around 948, 000 U.S. dollars) to the state budget each year.

Relevant authorities are working to investigate the case, said Quy. Endi