Mudflow in Kabardino-Balkaria leaves four villages without gas supply

On July 21, in the Chegem District of Kabardino-Balkaria, a mudflow went down on the highway in the area of Chegem Waterfalls and damaged a gas pipeline, leaving four villages and a frontier unit without gas supply. In the village of Nizhni Chegem several houses were flooded.

The mudflow that blocked the national-value highway went down between the villages of Khushto-Syrt and Nizhni Chegem after a heavy rain. As a result, six minibuses with 83 passengers and one bus with 50 holidaymakers, including 10 children, were blocked. Some of them were taken to Nalchik by the forces of the Ministry for Emergencies (MfE), while others were left for the night at the secondary school in Khushto-Syrt.

After the mudflow went down, the villages of Nizhni Chegem, Khushto-Syrt, El Tyubyu and Bulungu and the frontier unit were disconnected from gas supply. The "Interfax-South" reports that the mudflow partially broke and partially covered the gas pipeline.

"Fortunately, there're no casualties, but there're minor destructions," said Mr Sarbashev as quoted by the NTV Channel.

According to the Channel, the length of the gas pipeline section washed off by the mudflow in Nizhni Chegem is 250 meters; besides, some recreation areas were flooded.