"At Least 30 Dead, Many Missing After Dam Bursts In Eastern Sudan"

"ARBAAT, Sudan - Surging waters have burst through a dam, wiped out at least 20 villages and left at least 30 people dead but probably many more in eastern Sudan, the United Nations said on Monday, devastating a region already reeling from months of civil war.

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.

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

One first responder said that between 150 and 200 people were missing."

Eltayeb Siddig reports for Reuters August 26, 2024.

Source: Reuters, 08/27/2024