YAKUTSK, July 11. /ITAR-TASS/.  Eleven towns with more than 16,000 people may be flooded in Yakutia after a dam burst in one of the districts on Friday, July 11, the regional Emergencies Ministry told ITAR-TASS.

Earlier in the day, Vlad Permyakov, head of the district crisis management committee, told ITAR-TASS that nine towns were facing the threat of inundation.

“The dam burst at 06:00 [local time]. Roads have already been washed away and we are expecting a flood in towns. The situation is very complex,” he said.

The dam in a more than 7 million cubic metre reservoir on the river Tatta gave in after heavy rains in Yakutia. The level of water in the reservoir has dropped by 24 cm over the past two hours.

The population has been informed of the situation and evacuation centres have been set up, the ministry said.