Rescue teams from the Poh Teck Tung Foundation searched for survivors on Thursday (August 2) after the Laos dam flood tragedy inundated hundreds of villages and left at least 1,000 people dead or missing, according to some estimates.

The flood tragedy unfolded on July 22 when a wall at the Xe-Pian Xe-Namnoy dam collapsed after heavy monsoon ains, sending millions of tonnes of water downstream through Sanamxay District in the southernmost Attapeu province and into neighbouring Cambodia.

The floodwaters wiped out entire villages - washing away roads, bridges and homes, and swamping crops and irrigation systems.

Thousands of people are now taking shelter in rescue camps while many more remain stranded or dead in their villages.