A dam collapse in eastern Zimbabwe killed five children and left two missing. The disaster followed weeks of heavy rain, which compromised the dam’s integrity. The Civil Protection Unit is actively involved in ongoing search efforts for the missing individuals, while nearby villages were significantly affected by flooding.
In eastern Zimbabwe, a tragic incident occurred on Sunday when a dam collapsed, resulting in the loss of five children’s lives and leaving two others missing. The disaster was stated by the country’s disaster management agency, which attributed the collapse to excessive rainfall in recent weeks that caused a breach in the dam’s structure in Chipinge, a remote district.
Initially, reports indicated that a four-year-old girl, who was doing laundry alongside her mother, and a 30-year-old man lost their lives in the flood. Fortunately, the girl’s mother managed to survive. As the search for additional victims continued, rescuers recovered four more deceased children, prompting an ongoing extensive search for the remaining two missing children, aged eight and four.
The Civil Protection Unit reported that the dam’s failure released torrents of water that inundated nearby villages, surprising children who were fishing or laundering by the river. This calamity also resulted in the destruction of agricultural equipment and loss of livestock. A collaborative effort from the Civil Protection Unit, local police, and community members is underway to find the missing children.
Zimbabwe has recently endured its most severe drought in four decades, followed by an unusual period of excessive rainfall, which has raised concerns regarding the stability of vulnerable infrastructure throughout the country.
The dam collapse in eastern Zimbabwe has resulted in the tragic loss of five children and left two others missing, highlighting the severe impact of natural disasters exacerbated by weather extremes. As the search and rescue efforts continue, the incident underscores the importance of emergency preparedness in the face of changing climate conditions and the vulnerability of communities to such disasters.
Original Source: abcnews.go.com
