At Least 30 Feared Dead As Dam Bursts In Eastern Sudan

According to the United Nations, surging waters which burst through a dam have wiped out at least 20 villages and left at least 30 people dead in eastern Sudan.

Torrential rains caused floods that overwhelmed the Arbaat Dam on Sunday just 40 km (25 miles) north of Port Sudan, the de facto national capital and base for the government, diplomats, aid agencies and hundreds of thousands of displaced people.

Sudan, which is already grappling with a long civil war and a recent surge in the mpox cases, is now facing a devastating natural disaster claiming the lives of at least 132 people and displacing tens of thousands from their homes.

“The total number of affected states is 10, while the number of affected families rose to 31,666 families and individuals to 129,650,” the health ministry said in a statement. 

“The total number of deaths reached 132.”

Some 12,420 homes have completely collapsed and 11,472 others partially collapsed due to the rains, according to the ministry, which said most of the damage is in Sudan’s Northern and River Nile states.