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CatastropheSudan

Sudan dam bursts in heavy rains; 30 dead, thousands impacted

August 27, 2024

Heavy rains and floods caused the Arbaat Dam near Port Sudan to burst, affecting about 50,000 people. Authorities say the death toll is likely to rise.

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This picture shows buildings near the Arbaat Dam, 40km north of Port Sudan after it collapsed following heavy rains and torrential floods on August 25, 2024.
Floodwaters released by the breach of the Arbaat Dam to the north of Port Sudan are still causing damage downstreamImage: AFP/Getty Images

A dam that burst in eastern Sudan amid heavy rains led to the destruction of about 20 villages and at least 30 deaths, local authorities said on Monday.

The Arbaat Dam, which lies 40 kilometers (roughly 25 miles) north of Port Sudan, suffered severe damage during torrential rains. It was the main source of water for the city, which has a port and airport. Aid deliveries to Sudan are for the most part sent there.

"The area is unrecognizable. The electricity and water pipes are destroyed," Omar Eissa Haroun, head of the water authority for Red Sea state, said in a message to his staff.

Sudan | Dammbruch Arbaat Dam - (240826) -- RED SEA STATE, Aug. 26, 2024 (Xinhua) -- People are seen on a bridge damaged due to floods after the collapse of Arbaat Dam in Red Sea State, Sudan, on Aug. 26, 2024.
Floodwaters caused damage to bridges and other infrastructureImage: Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council/Xinhua/picture alliance

Hundreds in need of aid

A UN report released early Tuesday said a government delegation at the site reported the homes of about 50,000 people had been affected by the incident, and they were in need of water, food and shelter. 

"The city is threatened with thirst in the coming days," the Sudanese Environmentalists Association said in a statement.

An emergency worker said around 150-200 people were missing, comparing it to the disaster in Libya's Derna city last year where storms had caused several dams to burst, killing thousands. 

A reporter from Reuters news agency saw the burial of a man, with people covering his grave with driftwood to prevent it from being washed away.

A man wades through muddy waters after the collapse of the Arbaat Dam.
Sudan's dams help it manage heavy seasonal precipitation in a largelydesert climateImage: -/AFP/Getty Images

The dam had been affected due to earlier than usual rains, with silt building for the past few days, said officials. It burst on Sunday.

Rains and subsequent flooding have killed at least 132 this year, Sudan's health ministry said Monday.

Sudan crisis

Infrastructure across Sudan has also been facing neglect and deterioration due to the ongoing fighting between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Forces paramilitary which began in April 2023.

According to the UN, both parties to the conflict are obstructing access for aid convoys. 

The UN estimates that at least 100 people die of hunger every day in Sudan, with at least 30% of children acutely malnourished.

The fighting has displaced more than 10 million people in the country and others have fled across the borders.

The UN describes the situation as the world's largest refugee crisis.

The devastation wreaked by the war has now been compounded by heavy rains and flooding that have destroyed houses and roads, forcing additional tens of thousands to flee.

Sudan war: Who is backing the two rivals?

tg/msh (AFP, AP, Reuters)

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reports.unocha.org