Moscow, Aug 20 (IANS): A state of emergency was declared in Russia's Buryatia Republic on Sunday after a dam collapsed, a river overflowed and railway tracks eroded, the regional head said.

Alexey Tsydenov, head of the Buryatia, said on his social media channel that he held a commission on the situation in the Severo-Baykalsky district, where the Cold River and the Baikal-Amur Mainline (BAM) were affected by heavy rainfall, Xinhua news agency reported.

He said an operational headquarters was formed to coordinate the relief efforts, and road and construction equipment was being used to restore the damaged infrastructure.

He added that the water level was going down, and there was no threat to residents. He also said that food and heating points were set up for people.

On August 19, the East Siberian Transport Prosecutor's Office reported that due to heavy rainfall, traffic on a section of the East Siberian Railway was closed because of the erosion of railway tracks.