Tens of thousands of homes in eastern Sudan have been destroyed after a dam burst due to weeks of heavy rain, wiping out at least 20 villages. The disaster has claimed at least 30 lives, with 200 people still missing.

Torrential rains overwhelmed the Arbaat Dam on Saturday, causing devastating floods that obliterated infrastructure, submerged entire villages, and severed access to surrounding areas.

The United Nations reported that around 50,000 people have been affected by the flooding west of the dam. The impact east of the dam remains unknown as the area is inaccessible.

The Arbaat Dam, with a capacity of 25 million cubic meters, was the main water source for Port Sudan, located 40 kilometres to the north.

Port Sudan is the de facto capital, home to the government, diplomats, and aid agencies supporting hundreds of thousands displaced by civil war.

"The city is threatened with thirst in the coming days," warned the Sudanese Environmentalists Association in a statement.

Crumbling infrastructure

Officials said the dam had started crumbling and silt had been building during days of heavy rain that had come much earlier in the season than usual, causing flooding.

The floods have further strained the country's already deteriorating infrastructure, which was in disrepair even before war broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, leading to what the UN has called the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

Both warring factions have diverted resources to the conflict, leaving infrastructure neglected.

The UN's humanitarian organisation Ocha last week estimated that 317,000 people have been affected since June by flooding in 16 of Sudan's 18 states.

The World Health Organization has also reported several cases of cholera linked to the flooding.

(with newswires)