Residents of Mamedkala thanked volunteers amid complaints against authorities

Hundreds of volunteers came to the aid of residents of the village of Mamedkala in the Derbent district after the flooding. Social media users expressed gratitude to those who came from other villages in Dagestan and neighboring republics. The authorities' efforts are insufficient; residents are asking for the water to be pumped out and their homes to be dried out as quickly as possible.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," six people died as a result of the flooding in Dagestan. Five of them died in and around the village of Mamedkala in the Derbent district: a pregnant 17-year-old local resident, a 12-year-old child, a five-year-old girl and her grandmother, as well as 70-year-old Aminat Musayeva, who had been missing for three days. Earlier, on April 5, in the village of Kirki in the Kaytag District, Kistaman Mazanova, a local village council member and a resident of a house destroyed by a landslide, died. Authorities reported paying out one million rubles each to the families of the victims.

Residents have called the situation in Mamedkala catastrophic.

The administration of the head of Dagestan reported today on the visit to Mamedkala of the head of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, Alexander Kurenkov.

Due to abnormal downpours, 1,091 residential buildings, 1,146 garden plots, and 70 road sections remain flooded in eight settlements in Dagestan. The head of the emergency service personally visited one of the hardest-hit villages, Mamedkala. Here, due to the breach of the Gejukha Reservoir dam, nearly 260 residential buildings and their gardens were flooded. Over 4,000 people were evacuated, the publication states.

The head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations overflew the affected areas, including the village of Mamedkala.

A task force from the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations has arrived to work in the affected areas, including the village of Mamedkala, the publication states.

Kurenkov thanked everyone who has been providing assistance in Dagestan these days, including caring residents and volunteers. Risking their lives, they pulled people from the floodwaters and transported them from the village to safe places in their personal vehicles.

"I am grateful for the work you have done and for your commitment." "We must draw conclusions and address residents' concerns as best we can to help them return to their normal lives," the head of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations addressed the volunteers.

I don't want to criticize, but this is a disaster.

Among the priority questions raised by local residents were pumping out water and drying out houses, the publication notes.

Meanwhile, the head of the department received complaints. For example, a video from the meeting in Mamedkala was published by the Telegram channel "Atypical Makhachkala."

"Minister, you're not getting a lot of things. There are no complaints about you personally, but there are complaints about the work of the Ministry of Emergency Situations. I don't want to criticize, but this is a disaster. "We're trying our best here," the man says in the video.

"Just support us, help us rebuild," he said, calling for help rebuilding not only people's homes but also the gym and other facilities.

Social media users thanked the volunteers.

A video of several dozen men using shovels to remove mud and water from a flooded street in Mamedkala was posted by the public group "Dagivestia," which has more than 466,000 subscribers.

"Nowhere are people as united as in Dagestan," reads the description of the video. The post has garnered 4,468 likes and 195 comments.

"How painful and how joyful that our wonderful, patient people will not be abandoned in their time of need! "Thank you," commented sultanat 5613.

Thank you to everyone who helps – physically, materially, financially, and by hauling water. To the entire Caucasus and beyond.

"Well done, guys! Thank you all, a huge, huge thank you," wrote hadishka_saidovna.

"My good Dagestani people, I love you with all my heart and respect you more and more," - djavair60.

"Thank you to everyone who helps – physically, materially, financially, and by hauling water. To the entire Caucasus and beyond. "You are all people with big hearts," thanked guilmira65.

"A deep bow to you, everyone who helps the people of Dagestan," thanked hidirova.nigora.

Others noted that the authorities should have taken the main role in eliminating the consequences of the flooding.

"Why isn't the government helping people? Why should people be left alone with this disaster?" abaya_by_madisha was indignant.

The Instagram* public page "Mamedkala," which has 5,544 followers, has published at least five videos of volunteers at work.

"Almost every familiar corner is destroyed. I have many relatives in the village, I came to see my parents and relatives, there is no connection, it is difficult to get through, the trouble passed them by. "Only my aunt was injured; her house was flooded up to the roof," wrote guria_shi. This post received 18 comments.

The video attached to the post shows dozens of men in civilian clothes walking through the village with shovels and tools.

"Thank you all for your help and support, which our people really, really need, and this is a cry from the heart," wrote maya_baymurzaeva.

"My village, hang in there, be strong," commented murtazalieva110.

Another user noted that the authorities were to blame for the incident.

"Thanks to our administration and everyone at the helm of Dagestan for this whole mess," commented sahbansaidov.

Another video posted publicly shows numerous cars and trucks on a street, along with many people carrying tools. Dozens of men in civilian clothes are driving a special-purpose vehicle.

A third video shows dozens of men cleaning a street that still shows signs of flooding.

Another video shows numerous men near trucks collecting debris from the flood. Some trucks are already loaded, others are still empty. This post has only one comment: "Thank you to all the volunteers, everyone who cares!!!" "We really appreciate your support," commented adueva.

Another video shows a humanitarian aid distribution point. Men and women are seen sorting through clothes and bedding. Trucks are visible with packages in the back.

"There's enough humanitarian aid. Plenty of pillows and blankets." "We only need financial assistance," a female voiceover says. She also urges people to write the sizes on clothing bags so they can be delivered to families immediately.

"Now we need to make a push and raise money to rebuild houses," commented princess_mi.

A Mamedkala resident who lost a leg in the North Caucasus Military District has been delivering humanitarian aid to fellow villagers since the first day of the flood, Sapa Kavkaz reported today.

Ruslan Kandaev recently returned from the special operation zone to his native village of Mamedkala. The 24-year-old lost a leg and uses a prosthesis. On the day of the flood, he immediately joined the evacuation of fellow villagers, and is now helping volunteers deliver humanitarian aid, the Telegram channel writes.

"Who knows our village better than us? We joined "We are delivering humanitarian aid. We are telling volunteers where to go and how best to get there," he is quoted as saying in the publication.

As a reminder, the Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences has linked regular flooding in Dagestan to a combination of natural processes and anthropogenic impacts, which increases the scale of natural disasters and increases the risks for people.

Dagestan and Chechnya suffered the most from the disaster, according to the "Caucasian Knot" report "Spring Flooding in the North Caucasus - 2026".

The "Caucasian Knot" has compiled materials about flooding in the republics of the North Caucasus Federal District in the spring of 2026 on the thematic page "Flooding in the North Caucasus".