Homeless families will also have an additional 50 modular housing units provided by the companies, some of which will be sent to Attapeu in November, district authorities said.

The units can each accommodate 4-5 people. Authorities hope to move some families into the modular houses by the end of November, district Governor Mr Bounhom Phommasane told Vientiane Times yesterday.

Mr Bounhom said the authorities will allocate 196 houses for homeless families in Hinlath village, 178 houses for families in Thasengchan village, and 76 in Samongtai village.

“Dam construction companies decided to buy modular houses after realising that the construction of temporary accommodation in Hadyao and Dongbak villages, which provided 446 rooms, was insufficient for the number of homeless people,” Mr Bounhom said.

He stressed that some of the housing units would be sent to the district this month, saying “We will house displaced families in these units once they arrive and have been assembled.”

Dam construction companies have provided millions of dollars in aid for relief and recovery operations in Sanamxay since the dam collapsed in July.

Mr Bounhom also reviewed the situation regarding the search operation for missing flood victims and the allocation of land for growing crops. As of October 19, authorities had recovered one more body out of the 29 persons who were listed as missing since the flash flood raged through the district in the wake of a breach in a dam wall on July 23.

The remains of a girl were found in Hinlath village by local officials and army personnel after they received information from villagers, Mr Bounhom said.

After carrying out forensic analysis including DNA tests, it was determined that the remains were those of a girl aged 3-4 from Thachengchan village. Her body was sent to her relatives so that a funeral could take place.

Mr Bounhom said the grim discovery on Friday brings the number of confirmed fatalities from the disaster to 43, while 28 people are still missing.

“Although the search and rescue operation is challenging, the authorities and army personnel will follow up any information they receive regarding the people who are still missing,” he added.

The district governor also said authorities were preparing to clear 1,750 hectares of land and would allocate one hectare to each displaced family so they could sustain themselves.

Agriculture officials are now preparing seeds and improving irrigation systems so that water can be supplied to farmland.