A criminal case was opened in early August for negligence following the collapse of a dam at a reservoir in Buryatia, the prosecutor’s office said.
In early August, a dam broke on the Khonkholoi reservoir in the Mukhorshibirsky district of Buryatia, flooding the federal highway R-258 “Baikal”. Traffic was closed on the section between kilometer 543 and kilometer 590. Three bridges were damaged by the flood: over the Tugnui river at kilometer 543, Sukharu at kilometer 555, and Khonkholoyka at kilometer 589.
“The district prosecutor sent a resolution to the investigative body to resolve the issue of criminal prosecution of the guilty party under Part 1 of Article 293 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (negligence, i.e. failure to perform or improper performance by an official of his duties due to dishonest or negligent attitude to service or office duties, if this entailed the infliction of major damage or significant violation of the rights and legitimate interests of citizens or organizations or legally protected interests of society or the state), a criminal case has been initiated”, – says the message.
It was established that the rise in water level, the emergency situation and the advancement of the dam were caused by the failure of the operating organization, the Mukhorshibirsky branch of the Department of Land Reclamation and Agricultural Water Supply of the Republic, to take measures to regulate (open) the gateway of the hydraulic structure regulator.
