‘We heard warnings of the flood through the mosque loud speaker,’ says resident of northwest Syrian town

A dam has collapsed in northwest Syria, partially submerging houses in the village of Al-Taloul and destroying thousands of acres of agricultural land.

The Orontes River overflowed after the deadly earthquake which hit the region a week ago caused structural damage to the dam.

Water was already rising in the river due to heavy rain in the Idlib Governorate, where the village is located.

Residents say they left their houses after warnings came through the mosque speakers.

“We immediately evacuated our homes. We gathered the women and the kids and fled. Everyone fled the village.”

There are now approximately 91 families – 500 people – living in tents on the outskirts of the town and others sleeping out in the open, according to one local resident.

Al-Taloul is located near the border with Turkiye, close to a wall built by the government in Ankara to prevent refugees escaping the Syrian war getting into Turkiye.

It is the third longest wall in the world, after the US-Mexico border wall and the Great Wall of China.

Residents of Al-Taloul are calling on the Turkish government to ease the build-up of water and allow it to pass through the wall so that it doesn’t further flood the town and damage its infrastructure.

Some 1,000 further houses have been flooded in the nearby villages of Hardana, Delbuya, Jakara and Hamziyeh, according to the UN.

Over 4,000 people have been killed in northwest Syria because of the 7.7 magnitude earthquake which hit a week ago.

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