Sand Mining in Laos (IMAGE) Michigan State University Caption Sand is being extracted from the bottom of the Nam Khan River, a tributary of the Mekong near Luang Prabang, Laos. The area has many new resorts and an elephant sanctuary, development that demands sand for construction. Credit Aurora Torres, German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Usage Restrictions With credit, above. License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.