AT least 60 people have been killed after a dam burst because of heavy rainfall in war-torn Sudan.
Search operations are currently underway, but there are fears that the death toll could be even higher.
The Arbat dam has a capacity of 25 million cubic metres, and is the main source of drinking water for the coastal city of Port Sudan, where the military government is based.
After being ravaged by 16 months of civil war, Sudan is now experiencing torrential rains and floods that have killed dozens and forced tens of thousands from their homes.
The collapse of the dam in Red Sea state is one of the worst incidents, washing away farms and villages downstream.
Local resident Ali Issa told the AFP news agency that people had been “stuck in seven cars – they tried to get them out but couldn’t”.
Another, Moussa Mohamad Moussa, said he had been told that in one area “all the houses and everything was swept away”.
The heavy rainfall has also damaged a major fibre-optic cable in Sudan, causing a communication outage in many parts of the country for the second day in a row, according to the privately owned Radio Dabanga website.
The air force was trying to rescue people who had become trapped after seeking refuge in the mountains, reports local newspaper Merdameek.
Director of the Red Sea state’s Water Authority, Omar Issa Tahir, told local news site Akhbar that the flooding had “wiped out the entire area”.
Army chief Abdul-Fattah al-Burhan visited the areas affected by the floods.
In a Facebook post, the army called on all “federal and state agencies to utilize all possibilities to help citizens in these regions and provide support and assistance to them.”
Sudan has been ravaged by war since last April when fighting broke out between the paramilitary group the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese army.
Millions of people have been forced from their homes and multiple states have declared famine.