Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated that the country must be "ten times stronger" than Armenia "every day," explaining this by the need to maintain military superiority even after the initialing of a peace agreement between the two countries. He outlined his position on October 2 at the 8th Congress of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party in Baku.
Dagestan has been ravaged by catastrophic flooding, claiming yet more lives. In the village of Mamedkala, a girl and a child died after being rescued from a river following the dam breach of the Gejukha Reservoir. Earlier, in the village of Kirki, the body of a dead woman was found under the rubble of a house that collapsed due to a landslide.
In Makhachkala, two apartment buildings collapsed due to eroded foundations. A state of emergency has been declared in the city, with more than 300 people evacuated and several more high-rise buildings still at risk.
In Khasavyurt, a market was washed away, and the first floors of buildings in Derbent were flooded. Gas pipelines were damaged in several districts. The Gejukha Reservoir is overflowing, and seven villages are at risk of flooding. Temporary shelters have been set up for the victims. The situation remains tense, and rescue operations are ongoing.