At least 60 people have died after a dam burst due to heavy rainfall in war-torn Sudan.
A search operation is ongoing 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 experiencing torrential rains and floods that have killed dozens and forced tens of thousands to flee their homes.
The collapse of a dam in Red Sea state was one of the worst, washing away farms and villages downstream.
Local resident Ali Issa told AFP that people were “trapped in seven vehicles – they tried to get them out but failed”.
Another, Moussa Mohamed Moussa, said he was told that “all the houses and everything had been washed away” in one area.
Heavy rains also damaged a major fiber optic cable in Sudan, causing communications outages in many parts of the country for a second day, according to private companies. radio darbanga website.
According to local newspaper Merdameek, the air force is trying to rescue people trapped after taking refuge in the mountains.
Omar Isa Tahir, director of the Red Sea State Water Authority, told local news website Akhbar that the floods “devastated the entire area.”
Army Chief of Staff Abdul-Fattah al-Burhan inspected areas affected by the floods.
In a Facebook post, the military called on all “federal and state agencies to use all possible means to help the citizens of these areas and provide them with support and assistance.”
Sudan has been ravaged by war since fighting broke out last April between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese army.
Millions of people were forced from their homes and famine was declared in several states.
Extreme weather conditions will only exacerbate food shortages.
