Floods kill three in Dagestan

Severe flooding in Russia’s Republic of Dagestan has killed three people and forced the evacuation of over 5,000 residents from four settlements after torrential rains inundated large parts of the North Caucasus region. Authorities reported that more than 2,000 residential buildings and private houses were flooded, with significant damage to roads, bridges and public infrastructure and many areas rendered temporarily isolated as floodwaters disrupted transport and communications.

In the regional capital Makhachkala, rushing waters caused a residential building to collapse, prompting the Investigative Committee to open a criminal inquiry into alleged negligence by local officials. Emergency services mounted large-scale rescue and evacuation operations, deploying teams to extract people trapped in submerged homes and vehicles and to transport evacuees to temporary shelters where they are receiving food, medical care and basic supplies.

A state of emergency declared after the heavy rainfall preceded widespread power outages that left more than 327,000 people without electricity. Officials warned that continued rain could exacerbate the crisis, urging residents in vulnerable locations to follow evacuation orders and safety guidance. Meteorologists cited unusually intense precipitation and overflowing rivers that overwhelmed drainage systems, with Dagestan’s mountainous terrain contributing to rapid runoff and flash-flood conditions in low-lying communities.

Local authorities and emergency responders have begun damage assessments and recovery work, clearing debris, stabilizing damaged structures and working to restore utilities. However, officials cautioned that full recovery will be protracted due to the scale of destruction to housing and infrastructure. The disaster has intensified calls from local leaders and experts for improved flood defenses, more robust early-warning systems and strengthened disaster-preparedness measures to reduce future vulnerability to extreme weather events.

Humanitarian agencies are monitoring needs and coordinating assistance for displaced families, while investigators probe the circumstances surrounding the collapsed building and the broader emergency response. The floods underline ongoing concerns about infrastructure resilience in the face of increasingly frequent severe weather, and policymakers face mounting pressure to bolster mitigation and adaptation efforts to protect communities across the region.