Dam Bursts In War-torn Sudan, Killing 60

At least 60 people have died after a dam burst due to heavy rains in war-torn Sudan.

A search is currently underway, but there are fears the death toll could be higher.

The Arbat Dam has a capacity of 25 million cubic meters and is the main source of drinking water for the coastal city of Port Sudan, where the military government is located.

After 16 months of civil war, Sudan is now struggling with torrential rains and flooding, killing dozens of people and forcing tens of thousands to flee.

The collapse of the dam in the Red Sea state is one of the worst incidents, washing away farms and villages downstream.

According to Ali Issa, a local resident, there were people “trapped in seven cars. They tried to get them out but they couldn’t.”

Another, Moussa Mohamad Moussa, said he was told that in one area “all the houses and everything had been wiped out”.

The heavy rains have also damaged a key fibre optic cable in Sudan, leaving many parts of the country without communications for the second day in a row, the private company said Radio Dabanga website.

The air force tried to rescue people who were trapped after seeking refuge in the mountains, local newspaper Merdameek reported.

The director of the Red Sea State Water Authority, Omar Issa Tahir, told local news site Akhbar that the floods “have wiped out the entire area”.

Army chief Abdul-Fattah al-Burhan visited the flood-affected areas.

In a Facebook post, the military called on all “federal and state agencies to use all means available to assist and provide support and assistance to civilians in these regions.”

Sudan has been ravaged by war since April last year, when fighting broke out between the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese army.

Millions of people have been forced to leave their homes and famine has been declared in several states.

The extreme weather conditions will only worsen the food shortage.