Many buildings and vehicles have been flooded after severe flooding broke a dam of a river in Mongolia's capital Ulan Bator early on Wednesday (July 5).

Basements and first floors of at least 27 residential buildings and hundreds of vehicles in the Bayanzurkh District of Ulan Bator have been flooded after the dam of Selbe River was broken by the rain-triggered floods, the country's National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said in a statement.

In addition, in five districts of the capital city on Tuesday, at least 54 residential buildings, the basement of a commercial centre, five houses, 15 yurts, two highways and two tunnels were flooded while two dams and several bridges collapsed partially, the NEMA said.

The water levels in major rivers and lakes in the central and eastern parts of the country, including Tuul, Terelj, Kherlen and Selbe, have exceeded the warning levels by up to 50 centimetres due to continuous rain since Sunday night, according to the country's weather monitoring agency.

The water levels are expected to continue rising as the central and eastern parts of Mongolia, including the capital Ulan Bator, will see more rain until the end of the week, the weather agency said, warning residents living along the rivers and lakes to take precautions.

STORY: Flood hits parts of Mongolia's capital
DATELINE: July 5, 2023
LENGTH: 00:01:17
LOCATION: Ulan Bator
CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT

SHOTLIST:
1. various of flood-hit areas in Ulan Bator

STORYLINE:

Many buildings and vehicles have been flooded after severe flooding broke a dam of a river in Mongolia's capital Ulan Bator early on Wednesday.

Basements and first floors of at least 27 residential buildings and hundreds of vehicles in Bayanzurkh District of Ulan Bator have been flooded after the dam of Selbe River was broken by the rain-triggered floods, the country's National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said in a statement.

In addition, in five districts of the capital city on Tuesday, at least 54 residential buildings, basement of a commercial center, five houses, 15 yurts, two highways and two tunnels were flooded while two dams and several bridges were collapsed partially, the NEMA said.

The water levels in major rivers and lakes in the central and eastern parts of the country, including Tuul, Terelj, Kherlen and Selbe, have exceeded the warning levels by up to 50 cm due to continuous rain since Sunday night, according to the country's weather monitoring agency.

The water levels are expected to continue rising as the central and eastern parts of Mongolia, including the capital Ulan Bator, will see more rain until the end of the week, the weather agency said, warning residents living along the rivers and lakes to take precautions.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Ulan Bator.
(XHTV)