WATCH dam collapse in Russia’s southern Urals
Torrential rains have caused a dam to collapse in Russia's Chelyabinsk Region, local authorities said on Friday, adding that a reservoir had overflowed due to the rain.
Videos posted on Telegram show powerful torrents of water rushing through the collapsed part of the dam and flooding the nearby area. Other clips show streams of water covering fields and eroding dirt roads.
Several villages were affected, with streets fully submerged and buildings damaged by the flooding. There are no reports of casualties.
According to the regional Emergencies Ministry, a 100-meter section of the 500-meter-wide dam was damaged.
Emergency teams have been dispatched to mitigate the consequences of the disaster, the ministry added.
According to local media, Chelyabinsk Region is expected to experience 60 days of what weather experts are calling ‘mega-rains’. The regional capital, Chelyabinsk – Russia’s eighth most populous city – is also at risk of flooding, they warned.
The local authorities ordered the evacuation of four villages. More than 160 people, including over 20 children, were housed in temporary shelters in the nearby town of Karabash. Others chose to stay with their relatives, Chelyabinsk Governor Aleksey Teksler wrote on Telegram.
