Country Syria Status Failed Demolition date 4 June 2002 Opened 1996 | Location Zeyzoun Opening date 1996 Type of dam Embankment | |
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Similar Kyzyl‑Agash Dam failure, Dale Dike Reservoir, Campos Novos Dam, Camará Dam, Llyn Eigiau | ||
The Zeyzoun Dam is a failed embankment dam in Hama Governorate, Syria. It impounded water pumped from the nearby Orontes River. The dam was completed in 1996 and its primary purpose was the irrigation of about 14,000 ha (35,000 acres). The dam's reservoir was filled in the winter and expended its water during the summer.
Map of Zeyzoun Dam, Syria
The dam failed on 4 June 2002, killing 22 people, displacing 2,000 and directly affecting over 10,000. Hours before the dam failed, in the afternoon, cracks were noticed in the embankment. People were evacuated as water began to pour through the cracks. The water eventually breached a 80 m (262 ft) wide hole in the dam which released a 3.3 m (11 ft) tall wave of water. The water engulfed 80 km2 (31 sq mi), destroying 251 homes and damaging hundreds of others. Several International organizations, non-government organizations and nations sent aid. Reportedly, Syrian officials had ignored warnings that the dam was in need of serious repair.