CHICAGO, May 20 — Michigan's county of Midland said yesterday two dams have collapsed due storm and heavy rains in the past few days and residents nearby were told to evacuate immediately.

"The Edenville Dam and Sanford Dam have failed. Residents of Edenville and Sanford should evacuate immediately,” a statement from the county said.

A slow-moving storm doused Michigan with heavy rains over the past several days, triggering fears of imminent dam failure and flood warnings across the state, according to weather forecaster AccuWeather.

Residents were also advised to seek higher ground as far as possible from the Tittabawassee river.

Two rivers in Michigan, the Tittabawassee River in Midland and the Rifle River near Sterling, were in major flooding stage, the National Weather Service (NWS) said.

The NWS also said it issued a flash flood emergency in locations downstream of the failed dams. — Reuters