The hydropower station responded that two students drowned in the riverbed! Parents claim that the upstream hydropower station's drainage increased sharply before the incident

Recently, two 14-year-old junior high school boys unfortunately drowned in Yuanjiang, Taoyuan County, Changde City, Hunan Province. The families of the two children reported that they were playing in the riverbed at the time of the incident, and the Taoyuan hydropower station upstream of the river suddenly increased its drainage, causing the two to be washed away. The bodies of the children have been gradually found downstream. Family members questioned the inadequate warning of the hydropower station and the insufficient warning measures by the riverside.

On September 17th, the staff of Taoyuan Hydropower Station responded that all operations related to the hydropower station were strictly carried out in accordance with the prescribed procedures of the power company. If there are any demands, family members can seek legal means to resolve them.

Two middle school students drowned while playing in the river

Mr. Wen, who is 49 years old this year, is from Taoyuan County, Changde City. Previously, he had been working in Ningde, Fujian, and his wife was also working outside. His son is 14 years old and is currently in junior high school, living with his grandparents.

At around 9 pm on August 22nd, Mr. Wen received a phone call from his wife, saying that his son may have been washed away by water in the Yuanjiang River, and asked him to hurry home. At that time, the family had already reported to the police. Early on the 23rd, Mr. Wen rushed back to Taoyuan County. When we arrived at the scene of the incident, it was already around 1 pm. "At that time, the police, blue sky rescue team, and people from the street office were all searching and rescuing at the scene."

The search continued until around 9am on the 24th, when Mr. Wen received a call from the police stating that a fisherman had found a body in Sanchagang Village, where he had been swimming several kilometers underground. Mr. Wen and his wife went to the scene as soon as possible. Mr. Wen said that he saw the body severely damaged, wearing only a pair of shorts, completely unrecognizable, and his body was also scratched, making it completely unrecognizable.

It wasn't until the next afternoon when the DNA comparison results came out that it was confirmed that this was their son. Mr. Wen stated that the incident occurred only about one kilometer away from the hydropower station. On August 25th, the family buried the child.

Prior to the incident, the water discharge from the hydropower station increased

Mr. Wen's son drowned together with Mr. Wu's son, who is also 14 years old this year.

Mr. and Mrs. Wu both work in Guangzhou, and their children are taken care of by their grandparents. After receiving news that their child may have drowned on the evening of the 22nd, the couple departed from Guangzhou and arrived at the scene of the incident at around 8:00 am the next day to search for the child with rescue personnel.

On the morning of the 24th, Mr. Wu received a phone call from the police, stating that someone had found a body in Wuling District, Changde City downstream and reported it to the police. When the couple arrived at the scene, it had been 40 hours since the incident occurred. The couple said that at first glance, the body looked blurry, but they recognized it as their son based on features such as length, hair, eyes, and ears. Eventually, their son's identity was confirmed through fingerprints.

Mr. Wu has two children, and his drowning son is the second. Due to the inability to bear the pain of losing her younger brother, the 19-year-old daughter at home has been in poor spirits and unable to overcome the shadow.

"As parents, we have a responsibility, but hydropower stations should also be responsible," Mr. Wu said. Several villagers at the incident site reported that at around 14:00 on August 22nd, the amount of water released from the dam suddenly increased. And this amount of water has been used for three to four days since noon.

Nearby villagers also told Mr. Wu that on the day of the incident, they saw two children playing in the shallow water area of the riverbed, but no one witnessed the two children being washed away by the water.

Mr. Wen once found a surveillance probe facing the river near the incident site, but because it was too far from the place where the child was playing, the surveillance footage could only barely see the figure. However, he could see from the surveillance footage that around 2:30 pm that day, the water flow on the river suddenly increased. Mr. Wen stated that due to police requirements, he was unable to retain evidence related to surveillance.

The picture sent by Mr. Wen to the reporter shows that there are many potholes with accumulated water near the riverbed of the main river. Once a large amount of water comes upstream, people playing in the riverbed are easily trapped by the water if they don't get ashore in time.

After the incident, the two sides also reached out to the local government and hydropower station several times for negotiations, but there has been no result. Mr. Wen said that the two families only hope that the power station can compensate for the funeral expenses of their children, and did not demand large compensation.

Mr. Wen also hopes that the relevant departments can erect warning signs downstream and fill up the bumpy river channels.

Hydropower stations claim to be able to resolve the issue through legal means

On the morning of the 17th, Mr. Wang, a staff member of Taoyuan Hydropower Station, suggested that family members file relevant claims through legal channels, and the hydropower station will assume relevant responsibilities in accordance with the court's judgment.

Mr. Wang introduced that all operations at Taoyuan Hydropower Station are very strict and carried out in accordance with the prescribed procedures of the power company. The Taoyuan Hydropower Station is located on the Yuanjiang River with a large water flow, and there will be no interruption of flow. So since the hydropower station started operating and generating electricity, it has been continuously generating electricity without stopping. Hydroelectric stations increase or decrease their power generation based on the size of the power grid load, and the water volume will change in real time, according to the daily scheduling of the power grid.

When the drainage volume increases, a broadcast warning will be issued through the broadcasting system. During the day, due to the influence of various noises, the sound of the broadcast warning can be transmitted to a range of about one kilometer around. In addition, according to relevant national regulations, the safety zone of a hydropower station is within 300 meters upstream and downstream of the dam, which is managed by the hydropower station.

The increase in water discharge from the dam during the days of the incident was due to the high temperature in August and the high electricity load, which required both upstream and downstream hydropower stations to increase their power generation.

Mr. Wang also stated that Taoyuan County is located in the lower reaches of the Yuanjiang River, where the river surface is very wide, and the impact of changes in inflow on the water level of the river is limited. "In terms of emotions, we also feel heartbroken." Mr. Wang said that on the day of the incident, the two children were playing in the water downstream by themselves, and the incident occurred far from the hydropower station. Mr. Wang stated that the responsibility of the hydropower station can be determined by the court, and he suggested that the family members resolve their claims through legal means.

On the 17th, the reporter called the public security department in Taoyuan County to inquire about the relevant situation, but received no response.

Mr. Xiao, the person in charge of the Taoyuan County Petition Bureau, stated that he has organized multiple interviews and negotiations between family members and the hydropower station. Currently, the hydropower station insists on allowing the other party to resolve the issue through legal means.