The Civil Defense Command of Tan Tien Commune (Lang Son) has just sent a quick report to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment on the broken situation of Bac Khe 1 hydropower dam due to the impact of storm No. 11 (MATMO) on October 7, 2025 (comprehensive data up to 1:30 p.m.).
According to the report, due to the impact of storm No. 11 (MATMO) from the morning of October 6, 2025 to the morning of October 7, 2025, Tan Tien commune had continuous rain, sometimes very heavy rain.
Water flow updated by Bac Khe Hydropower Plant at 9:00 a.m. on October 7, 2025: Water flow to the lake is 1,181m3/s, water flow downstream is 1,181m3/s. Water flow updated by Bac Khe Hydropower Plant at 12:00 on October 7, 2025: Water flow to the lake is 1562m3/s, water flow downstream is 1562m3/s. By 1:30 p.m. on October 7, 2025, the Bac Khe 1 hydropower dam broke.
Time and location of the incident:
- Time: At about 1:30 p.m. on October 7, 2025.
- Location: Bac Khe 1 Hydropower Dam in Bac Khe village, Tan Tien commune, Lang Son province.
- About 4-5m long, 3-4m deep.
Initial cause
According to initial assessment, due to prolonged heavy rain, the peak water flow reached 1,572m3/s, causing the factory to break a concrete piece at the water intake gate, and the central control room and equipment in the room to collapse.
Damage situation
- Regarding people (including dead, missing, injured): No damage has been recorded.
- Regarding assets: Not yet counted.
- Regarding flooded crops: Un counted.
- Total initial estimated damage: About 50,000,000,000 VND.
Directing and responding
The Commune Civil Defense Command has urgently notified by communication means such as phone, Zalo group... to the villages around Bac Khe 1 Hydropower Plant and downstream areas of communes such as That Khe, Trang Dinh, Khang Chien, Quoc Viet so that the authorities of the communes can notify people to evacuate from the danger zone, ensuring safety of life is paramount.
Direct the police, military, militia, medical and rescue forces to be ready to participate in the search and evacuation of people from dangerous areas. Because National Highway 3B is currently still cut off at many points, it is difficult to respond.
Information from the Department of Dyke Management and Natural Disaster Prevention and Control, the affected area of Bac Khe 1 hydropower plant includes 3 villages: Bac Khe, Na Soong and Hop Luc. The total number of households in the above 3 villages is 196 households with 779 people. Of which, 23 households with 101 people were affected by the broken Bac Khe 1 hydropower dam incident. Currently, people have been evacuated to a safe place. Of which, Bac Khe has 7 households with 25 people, Hop Luc has 10 households with 40 people, Na Soong has 6 households with 36 people.
The Bac Khe 1 hydropower plant in Tan Tien commune (old Kim Dong) is located in Bac Khe village, Tan Tien commune with an installed capacity of 2.4M, basin area of 325km2, water flow of 1,572m3.
Regarding the broken dam in Bac Khe, Lang Son, on the afternoon of October 7, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Nguyen Hoang Hiep said he was going directly to the scene. According to Mr. Hiep, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has received an initial report from the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Lang Son province. The forces have proactively evacuated people, and there are currently no human casualties.
