Dam bursts in war-torn Sudan, killing at least 60 people

Tuesday, August 27, 2024 -At least 60 people have died after a dam burst in war-torn Sudan due to heavy rainfall, adding to the growing humanitarian crisis in the region.

The Arbat Dam, located in Red Sea State, collapsed under the pressure of torrential rains, leading to catastrophic flooding that swept away farms, villages, and vehicles downstream.

The dam, which has a capacity of 25 million cubic meters, was a crucial source of drinking water for Port Sudan, where the military government is headquartered.

The collapse has left the city and surrounding areas without a stable water supply, further complicating the lives of residents already battered by 16 months of civil war.

Search and rescue operations are currently underway, but authorities fear the death toll may rise as efforts continue to locate missing persons. Local residents have reported harrowing scenes, with people trapped in vehicles and homes being washed away by the floodwaters.

Ali Issa, a local resident, described the desperate situation: “People were stuck in seven cars—they tried to get them out but couldn’t.”

Another resident, Moussa Mohamad Moussa, reported that entire communities had been wiped out: “All the houses and everything was swept away.”

The flooding has also damaged a major fiber-optic cable, causing a widespread communication outage across several parts of the country. The disruption has hampered coordination of rescue efforts and left many communities isolated.

The Sudanese Air Force has been deployed to rescue people who sought refuge in the mountains, according to reports from local newspaper Merdameek.

The director of the Red Sea State’s Water Authority, Omar Issa Tahir, confirmed to local news site Akhbar that the flooding had “wiped out the entire area.”

Army chief Abdul-Fattah al-Burhan visited the flood-stricken areas, and the military issued an urgent appeal on social media for federal and state agencies to provide immediate assistance to those affected.

Sudan has been mired in conflict since April 2023, when fighting erupted between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese army.

The ongoing war has displaced millions and led to widespread famine, with the recent extreme weather only worsening the dire situation.