INVESTIGATIONS have begun into the collapse of a dam in south-eastern Laos which left at least 24 people dead and more than 100 others missing.

Floodwaters that rose to the rooftops are slowly receding as villages begin digging out of the deluge of mud from the dam’s failure on Monday.

READ MORE: Dozens of villagers still missing and death toll rises after dam bursts

Thousands of people stranded by the disaster had been rescued by Wednesday.

Hundreds travelled by boat, bus and trucks to shelters in nearby towns.