Disaster on White Sea‑Baltic Canal leaves six dead, three missing
Catastrophe on the White Sea-Baltic Canal in Russia. As reported by RIA Novosti, "the temporary bridge between the locks has been washed away." A wall of water rushed into a nearby village. Six people were killed, and three are missing. A state of emergency has been declared in the region.
7:44 PM EDT, July 29, 2024
The Governor of Karelia, Artur Parfenchikov, reported that between locks 10 and 11, the temporary cofferdam installed during the reconstruction was washed away. "In the direction of the water discharge is the 'Baltic' cooperative dacha, where 11 people are registered," he said.
A moment later, RIA Novosti, citing emergency services, reported that six people were killed in the disaster and three are missing.
Zvezda Channel published a video from the disaster site:
50 people from the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations in the Republic of Kazakhstan and 65 from the Karelian Republican Search and Rescue Service were sent to the accident site.
A state of emergency has been declared in the region.
The canal was built between 1930 and 1933. It connects the Baltic Sea and the White Sea. It is 141 miles long. Thanks to 19 locks, the canal overcomes a height difference of 338 feet up and 230 feet down to Lake Onega.
Today, the canal mainly allows the transport of heavy or large-sized goods from Russia's industrial regions to the White Sea and then to northern Siberian ports.
