Syria asked for urgent international aid for "victims of the disaster" caused by the collapse of a dam in the north of the country, which the local governor said killed at least 20 people.
The official SANA news agency said the authorities had contacted United Nations representative in Damascus Tufic ben Amara "for him to ask specialist international organisations to provide urgent aid for the victims of the disaster".
After the Zeyzoun Dam burst, villagers said some areas were submerged under 13 feet of water. But the flood receded quickly and hours after the afternoon collapse, they said the level was down to about four inches.
"President Bashar al-Assad has ordered immediate assistance in the amount of 50,000 Syrian pounds (about $1,000) for each of the victims, whose number has reached 10 as of this morning," SANA said.
It said Assad had also pledged 10,000 Syrian pounds ($200) in compensation for each family whose property was damaged by the flooding.
The dam, which was built in 1996, burst near the town of Idlib, about 350 kilometers north of Damascus. It is on the Orontes River.
"Cracks appeared in the Zeyzoun dam...leading to a rush of water, then the collapse of the dam and a flood that inundated a large portion of the Alghab region, causing massive damage to a number of villages and their residents," SANA said.
An Information Ministry official said the damage had been limited, and that villagers had been able to flee the low-lying area where the dam was to safety on higher ground. "There are very few casualties, maybe one or two as far as I know," Mounir Ali told CNN television, adding that three villages were flooded. (Albawaba.com)
