At least six dead as severe flooding devastates Russia’s Dagestan after weeks of heavy rain

At least six dead as severe flooding devastates Russia’s Dagestan after weeks of heavy rain
A view of the damage after heavy rainfall causes floods in Republic of Dagestan, Russia, on 7 April, 2026.
Anadolu Ajansi

At least six people have died after weeks of heavy rainfall triggered flooding in Russia’s southern region of Dagestan. The latest victim, an elderly woman, was found beneath rubble in the village of Mikhaylovka, the Russian Emergency Ministry said on Tuesday (7 April).

Heavy rain, which has battered the North Caucasus since late March, intensified in recent days, leaving more than 6,000 homes flooded across Dagestan and causing widespread electricity and gas outages.

Three people were killed after a dam collapsed due to unusually high rainfall levels, Dagestan’s Emergency Ministry said on Monday.

A view of the damage after heavy rainfall causes floods in Republic of Dagestan, Russia, on 7 April, 2026.
Anadolu Ajansi

Separately, a woman was killed when a house collapsed in a landslide in the southern village of Kirki, according to Dagestan’s Health Ministry. The Moscow Times reported the incident on Monday.

A man was reported missing from the same village on Sunday following the landslide. There have been no further updates on his situation.

Dagestan’s Emergency Ministry said an apartment building collapsed in Makhachkala, the region’s capital, on the same day.

More than 4,400 people have been evacuated across Russia’s Dagestan and Chechnya regions as a result of severe weather over the past week.

Authorities in Makhachkala declared a state of emergency on 28 March, with other towns in Dagestan following suit in the days that followed.

Flooding has also spread to neighbouring Kazakhstan, where the national Emergency Ministry reported a dam burst near the capital, Astana, on Monday.

"In the Korgalzhyn district, a breach of the Shoptykol dam has been recorded. Emergency response operations are underway at the site to safely manage the water flow," the Ministry said in a statement.

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