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Cairo, August 26 (Xinhua) -- Khartoum: Omar Issa Tahir, director of the Water Affairs Bureau of Sudan's eastern Red Sea state, issued a statement on the 26th saying that the Al-Baat Dam in the state completely collapsed on the 25th, killing 60 people and leaving hundreds missing.

Tahir said that the top priority is to rescue the people trapped in the flood, and rescuers are doing their best to evacuate the people to a safe place. In addition, urgent intervention is needed in the situation of the dam breach and surrounding areas. Some people who go up the mountain to escape the flood are at risk of being bitten by scorpions and snakes.

The press office of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council said on the evening of the 25th that Burhan, Chairman of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, said when he visited the dam site that night that all government departments would do their best to rescue the affected people.

The Al-Baat Dam is located about 20 kilometers north of Port Sudan, the capital of the Red Sea State, and is the main source of fresh water for Port Sudan. Due to the heavy rains for several days, the dam partially collapsed on the evening of the 24th and completely collapsed on the 25th. According to local media reports, the floods caused by the collapse of the Al-Baat Dam submerged at least five villages in the surrounding area. As the villages were completely covered by a large amount of silt carried by the flood, rescue work was difficult.

Sudan's rainy season usually starts in July and lasts until September or October, during which rainfall increases and floods occur frequently. The latest data released by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs on the 25th showed that since June this year, a total of 60 areas in 16 states in Sudan have suffered from heavy rains and floods, affecting more than 310,000 people from about 56,000 families. (End)