image credits: The Moscow Times
Two individuals have lost their lives following the collapse of a cofferdam in northwestern Russia, which caused significant flooding in the region. The incident occurred early Monday in the republic of Karelia when the temporary barrier between two locks of the White Sea-Baltic Canal was swept away by a surge of water.
Regional head Artur Parfenchikov reported the breach on VKontakte, stating that the cofferdam’s failure led to a torrent of water inundating the surrounding area. More than 100 firefighters and emergency personnel were dispatched to manage the situation, and a state of emergency was declared in response.
On Tuesday, the Russian Emergency Services Ministry confirmed that the bodies of a man and a woman who died in the flooding had been recovered. Additionally, ten other individuals sustained injuries in the incident. The state-run TASS news agency reported that 13 homes were destroyed, and three people were rescued. Originally, nine individuals were reported missing, but rescuers later found seven of them, including some children.
Social media footage captured the dramatic scene as water surged over the damaged cofferdam, with one video showing a woman shouting that homes and people were being swept away. The White Sea-Baltic Canal, which links the White Sea with Lake Onega and provides access to the Baltic Sea, was undergoing reconstruction work when the cofferdam failed.
Authorities have launched a criminal investigation into the dam break, focusing on potential breaches of construction safety regulations. This incident marks the second dam failure in Russia within a short period. On Friday, heavy rains caused a dam collapse in Chelyabinsk, Ural Mountains, resulting in at least one fatality and flooding in nearby villages. Earlier in April, a dam collapse in Orenburg led to historic flooding and the evacuation of thousands.