With the continuing evacuation of thousands, drastic measures are being undertaken in central Poland to prevent a dam collapsing.

east news

A dyke near the central Polish village of Dobrzykow is being blown up to prevent a flood barrier made of sandbags fencing the village from collapsing. The barrier was built around the village after a dyke in Swiniary collapsed.

The controlled explosions, which were undertaken on Monday morning, are to be repeated in some areas, although there is no guarantee that the flood barrier will not be breached as a result of the continuing high water.

Police in the Slubice and Gabin districts in the Mazovia province are urging people to evacuate their homes, with rescue assistance if necessary.

Police in nearby Plock, which is also be fighting high flood waters, have said they “will attend to every call [they] get for help.”

The council secretary in Gabin, Stanislaw Guziak, told the press that the barrier in Dobrzykow is holding the strain of the flood water, however “the controlled explosion of the dyke will divert the waters back into the [River Vistula’s] channel […] which will protect the dam,” Guziak explained.

Continuing action is underway to repair a 200 metre breach in the dyke in Swiniary, which has grown thanks to the continuing rush of water there. Apart from earth being shipped to the scene by helicopters, concrete slabs are also to be put to use to block the water.

Residents from 22 villages in danger of flooding have been evacuated, including 4,000 people and 5,000 animals. A further rescue mission is underway. (jb)

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