Authorities in Makhachkala, the capital of Russia’s southern region of Dagestan, declared a state of emergency on Saturday following severe rainfall that triggered widespread flooding and extensive power outages across the area.
The city administration announced that emergency services have been placed on high alert, with ongoing efforts to manage the aftermath and provide aid to those impacted by the disaster.
The regional Ministry of Emergency Situations reported that over 327,000 people remain without electricity due to the adverse weather conditions. As of 12:00 Moscow time (09:00 GMT), power outages affected 283 settlements, including nearly 90,000 children.
Sergei Melikov, the head of Dagestan, noted that while emergency teams and officials had been preparing for deteriorating weather, the actual impact surpassed even the most pessimistic predictions.
In a significant development, officials in Khasavyurt, Dagestan’s second-largest city, confirmed that heavy rains caused damage to a railway bridge. Two spans of the bridge on the Khasavyurt–Kadiyurt section of the North Caucasus Railway collapsed, disrupting transport infrastructure.
Weather forecasts indicate that the heavy rainfall is expected to persist through Sunday, potentially exacerbating the situation further.
