Torrential rains have caused a dam collapse in Russia’s Chelyabinsk Region, local authorities said on Friday. They explained that a reservoir has become overfilled due to massive downpour.
Videos posted to Telegram show powerful torrents of water rushing through the collapsed part of the dam and flooding the nearby area. Other clips show water streams covering fields and eroding dirt roads.
According to the regional Emergencies Ministry, a 100-meter-wide part of the 500-meter-wide dam was damaged in the incident. The emergency teams have been dispatched to mitigate the consequences of the disaster, the ministry added.
Several villages were affected, with streets fully submerged and buildings damaged by the flow. There are no reports of casualties, however.
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.
According to local media, the Chelyabinsk Region is expected to experience 60 days of what weather experts are calling “mega-rains.” The regional capital of Chelyabinsk – Russia’s eighth most populous city, which is home to more than 1.1 million residents – is also under the threat of flooding, they warned.
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