Heavy Floods Kill 7 and Displace Over 6,200 People

Communities in Dagestan remain isolated after floods triggered by two waves of heavy rainfall in late March and early April, which killed at least seven people and displaced more than 6,200.

The hardest-hit areas include the regional capital Makhachkala, Kaspiysk, and the Khasavyurtovsky and Derbentsky districts, where homes, roads, and bridges were flooded or damaged, and power outages were reported across several settlements.

According to the region’s head, Sergey Melikov, more than 6,200 people were affected by the series of floods, and a state of emergency has been declared in the republic.

Authorities have warned of possible outbreaks of infectious diseases due to the flooding, and officials attribute the disaster primarily to “unprecedented” rainfall.

However, experts note that the scale of the damage reflects not only extreme weather but also longstanding internal problems, including unregulated construction and the breakdown or absence of drainage infrastructure.

In March, rainfall in Makhachkala was four times higher than average, which city officials described as a “manifestation of climate change.”

Russian ministers have arrived in Dagestan to oversee the flood disaster response, with over 4,000 residents evacuated and more than 6,200 people reported affected.

The situation is now stabilizing, according to Melikov, though 15 communities remain isolated due to flood damage.