"Reckless Endangerment: Assessing responsibility for the Xe Pian-Xe Namnoy dam collaps," July 2019

...To date, no one has been held accountable for the catastrophe. Yet a growing body of evidence suggests that the dam’s lead developer and builder, the Korean firm SK Engineering & Construction, may have caused the collapse by cutting corners in order to maximize profits. An independent investigation commissioned by the Lao government has ruled out force majeure, or an unforeseeable “act of god” such as a natural disaster, as the cause of the collapse. Korean media have reported that SK Engineering & Construction significantly altered the design of the project, including by lowering the walls of the collapsed auxiliary dam, in order to save money. A Stanford University researcher found that the failed dam was built on a sinkhole. SK Engineering & Construction has denied responsibility...

Entities that... profit from Xe Pian-Xe Namnoy must take...action to ensure that adequate remediation is provided...