Two-dimensional transient dam-break flows in a river with bends were theoretically studied. The river was modeled as a curved channel with a constant width and a flat bottom. The water was assumed to be an incompressible and homogeneous fluid. A channel-fitted orthogonal curvilinear coordinate system was established and the corresponding two-dimensional shallow-water equations were derived for this system. The goving equations with well-posed initial and boundary conditions were numerically solved in a rectangular domain by use of the Godunov-type finite-difference scheme, which can capture the hydraulic jump of dam-break flows. The comparison between the obtained numerical results and the experimental data of Miller and Chaudry in a semicircle channel shows the validity of the present numerical scheme. The mathematical model and the numerical method were applied to the dam-break flows in channels with various curvatures. Based on the numerical results, the influence of river curvatures on the dam-break flows was analyzed in details.