Tragedy Strikes Eastern Zimbabwe as Dam Collapse Claims Five Lives

Five children perished and two are missing after a dam collapsed in eastern Zimbabwe, attributed to heavy rainfall. The Civil Protection Unit is conducting ongoing search efforts for the missing children while addressing the impacts of flooding on local agriculture.

In a tragic incident in eastern Zimbabwe, five children were confirmed dead following the collapse of a dam, while two others remain missing, as reported by the country’s disaster management agency. The dam, located on a farm in Chipinge, succumbed to the pressure of heavy rains over the past weeks, breaching its walls on Sunday.

Initial reports indicated that a four-year-old girl, who was washing clothes alongside her mother, and a 30-year-old man lost their lives, although the girl’s mother survived the incident. However, as the search continued, the bodies of four additional children were subsequently recovered.

The Civil Protection Unit is actively engaged in the search for two more missing children, aged eight and four. The floodwaters from the breached dam unexpectedly inundated nearby villages, harming children who were engaged in fishing or laundry. The incident also resulted in damage to agricultural equipment and the loss of livestock.

Search efforts are being coordinated by a team comprising members from the Civil Protection Unit, police, and community volunteers to find the missing children. This disaster follows a period of severe drought in Zimbabwe, which has now been succeeded by unusually heavy rains across the region.

The catastrophic collapse of the dam in eastern Zimbabwe has claimed the lives of five children, with two others still missing. Continuous rainfall led to the dam’s failure, resulting in widespread flooding that disrupted local communities and damaged agricultural resources. Ongoing search and rescue efforts highlight the determination to find the remaining victims amidst this tragic event.

Original Source: abcnews.go.com