14,000 Daghestanis isolated after rockfall cuts off 53 villages

Massive rockfall that occurred on Tuesday morning along the border between Daghestan’s Charodinsky and Gunibsky districts has completely cut off the Charodinsky district from the rest of the republic. According to official data, 53 settlements with a combined population of over 14,000 have been left without road access.

The Daghestan Prosecutor’s Office announced that it has taken control of the clean-up operation and launched an inquiry into the incident. Local authorities and emergency services say they plan to reopen the road by Wednesday evening.

According to the Main Directorate of the Russian Emergencies Ministry in Daghestan, a report of a large-scale rockslide was received by emergency services at 07:43 Moscow time. The rockfall occurred at the 17th kilometre of the regional Guinib–Tsurib road, near the village of Kulla. Massive boulders tumbling down the mountainside completely blocked the road.

Emergency crews were promptly dispatched to the scene. Four workers and two units of specialised equipment have been engaged in the response efforts, the ministry said.

Specialists from the Daghestan Roads Agency noted that the clean-up is being stalled by two enormous boulders obstructing the road — one measuring two and a half by seven metres, the other four by two metres. Due to their size, manual removal is not possible, and controlled blasting would be required.

A specialised demolition team from the village of Inkho in the Gumbetovsky district has also been sent to the site. A heavy tracked excavator from Gunib has also been deployed to assist with the removal operation.

Despite the transport isolation, it remains possible to reach the affected villages on foot. Russia’s Ministry of Emergencies estimates that road access could be restored by 17:00 local time on Wednesday, although this timeframe may change depending on weather conditions and the progress of blasting operations.

‘This is the first time something like this has happened here,’ Gadzhi Umaev, a resident of Tsurib, told OC Media. ‘But we have everything we need — no one urgently needs to go to the city. Though we still haven’t been told exactly when the road will be cleared’.

‘We have mobile service and electricity — everything is fine here’, Raisat Abumagomedova, another Tsurib resident, said. ‘If it weren’t for the journalists, we wouldn’t even know what’s going on. Hardly anyone travels outside the village’.

The situation is further complicated by the lack of 24-hour medical services in the remote settlements of Charodinsky district. Transporting patients in critical condition is nearly impossible without vehicular access.

In the neighbouring Agulsky district, another rockfall was reported, although its impact has been less severe. There, traffic has been diverted via a detour route, and only heavy lorries are temporarily unable to pass. Rockfall activity in that area continues, hampering road clearance efforts.

Local residents have previously raised concerns about similar incidents of rockfall. Regional media have drawn attention to the issue, pointing out that injuries and fatalities have been narrowly avoided in past incidents. Nevertheless, no preventive measures have yet been implemented to mitigate the risk of further collapses.

Heavy snowfall wreaks havoc in western Georgia, causing death and destruction

Heavy snow has blanketed the Caucasus in recent days, leading to extreme weather conditions in western Georgia.

OC MediaXandie (Alexandra) Kuenning