Lao Minister of Public Works and Transport Bounchan Sinthavong (C) poses with representatives of the Laos-China Railway Company, China Railway No. 2 Group (CREC2) and China Power, who were commended in an order signed by Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith, during a handing-over ceremony in Vientiane, Laos, on Sept. 26, 2018. Chinese engineering companies, which are building China-Laos railway in northern Laos, have handed over four bridges to the Lao government. (Xinhua/Liu Ailun)

VIENTIANE, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- Chinese engineering companies, which are building China-Laos railway in northern Laos, have handed over four bridges to the Lao government.

A handing-over ceremony was held on Wednesday in Lao Ministry of Public Works and Transport in capital Vientiane.

Li Bingxuan, director general of the Laos-China Railway Company, the China-Laos joint venture in charge of the construction and operation of China-Laos railway, briefed the construction and completion of the four bridges in Attapeu Province in southern Laos, and handed over them to the Laos side.

To honor the achievement and contribution of the Chinese engineering companies, Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith signed an order of commendation for the Laos-China Railway Company, China Railway No. 2 Group (CREC2) and China Power.

On behalf of the government, Lao Minister of Public Works and Transport Bounchan Sinthavong, conferred development medals to the three companies.

The fracture of saddle dam D, one of five auxiliary dams at the under-construction Xe-Pian Xe-Namnoy hydropower project, some 560 km southeast of Lao capital Vientiane, resulted in massive flooding on July 23 which has killed 40 people with 97 remaining missing. Over 6000 more have been left homeless.

The Chinese engineering companies along the China-Laos railway construction sites proactively responded to the Lao government's request, donating cash and materials to the disaster-hit areas and offering assistance to urgently build four bridges for the access to the flooded villages of Attapeu Province, Li Bingxuan told Xinhua on Thursday.

In less than 50 days, the CREC2 and Sinohydro Bureau 10 under China Power, with the guidance from the Laos-China Railway Company, completed the construction of four brand new bridges in southern Laos' flooded Attapeu.