IFP - Iran�s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi has expressed deep regret over the tragic dam collapse disaster in Laos, which left hundreds of people dead and missing.

In a statement on Saturday, Qassemi sympathised with the government and the people of Laos and the families of the survivors of the incident.



It�s been almost a week since the Xepian Xe Nam Noy Dam collapsed, swallowing the villages and towns downstream in more than 5 billion cubic metres of water.

Roads were demolished, houses destroyed and lives lost as the enormous wave of water swept over the southern part of the country.

Government statistics say 27 people have been killed and 131 people are missing � but aid agencies believe the country may be downplaying the scale of the disaster and the final death toll may be considerably higher.

Local residents told the BBC that they believed as many as 300 people may have lost their lives.

Meanwhile up to 3,000 people are reportedly still stranded, their rooftops now islands in the murky floodwater.