The collapse of a dam in Sudan’s eastern Red Sea state over the weekend swept away villages, houses and cars and left dozens missing and feared dead, according to local media.
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Dam collapse in Sudan floods villages; local media reports dozens missing
Resources have been sent to the area to attempt to rescue those stranded by the collapse, the Associated Press reported Monday, citing a statement from Sudan’s health ministry. According to the ministry, at least four people died in the floodwaters.
However, about 100 people are missing, local media reported, citing Sudan’s air force. The city of Tokar, in the south of the Red Sea State, was destroyed by the floods, Sudanese news outlet Medameek reported Monday.
The dam, which had a capacity of 25 million cubic meters, supplied drinking water to the Red Sea city. Its collapse forced some families to seek refuge in mountainous areas, and those stranded will probably require helicopter assistance to evacuate, local media reported.
Since June, an estimated 317,000 people across Sudan have been affected by heavy rains, of whom 118,000 have been displaced, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Sunday. Sudan was already experiencing the world’s largest hunger and internal displacement crisis, stemming from the civil war that began in April 2023.
About 25 million residents — half of Sudan’s population — require humanitarian assistance and protection, according to the U.N. Refugee Agency. Those in the country face shortages of food, water, medicine and fuel. Sudan is also grappling with a deadly cholera outbreak.
Recent flooding has hindered the delivery of crucial aid, the agency warned this month. It also led to widespread scorpion and snake infestations, particularly in Northern and River Nile states, OCHA said, noting that a shortage of venom serum only heightened risks to the community.
This month, the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said that thousands were bearing the brunt “of an incredibly dire humanitarian situation after more than a year of deadly war that has now led to the tragedy of famine conditions, all compounded by the growing impacts of climate change.”
Sudan’s greatest concentration of rain usually falls between June and September, according to the International Organization for Migration.
The severe rainfall and flash flooding also damaged a major fiber-optic cable, causing a communication blackout in many parts of the country including Red Sea state, local media reported Sunday.