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Russia: Orenburg officials urge evacuations amid flooding

April 6, 2024

A number of provinces in Siberia and along the Ural Mountains have been grappling with flooding in recent days. The Orenburg region has declared a state of emergency after 300 houses were flooded and a dam burst.

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Rescue workers in flooded Orenburg region, Russia on April 5, 2024
No casualties have been reported yet due to the flooding in the Orenburg region Image: Russia Emergency Ministry/dpa/picture alliance

Local authorities in the Russian region of Orenburg urged residents to evacuate riverside areas on Friday.

The region's capital, also called Orenburg, lies 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) east of Moscow, near the border with Kazakhstan.

A number of provinces in Siberia and along the Ural Mountains that divide Asia and Europe, as well as parts of Kazakhstan, have been grappling with flooding in recent days.

Emergencies ministry personnel had helped around 3,500 people affected by flooding throughout Russia.

Flooding in Orenburg region, Ural federal district, Russia, pictured on April 5, 2024
Thousands of people have been affected by flooding in parts of Russia near the Ural mountain rangeImage: Russia Emergency Ministry/dpa/picture alliance

Hundreds of Orenburg houses flooded

The Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations said that a state of emergency had been declared in the Orenburg region.

Orenburg Mayor Sergey Salmin said the situation was "critical."

"Don't wait for the situation to become threatening! Leave! You need to evacuate as quickly as possible," he said.

The mayor said that 300 houses had already been flooded.

In the city of Orsk, 276 kilometers (171 miles) east of Orenburg city, a dam burst. The breach could cause the flooding of up to 4,000 houses accommodating 10,000 people in a suburb of Orsk, according to state news agency TASS.

Orsk also lies in the Orenburg region and is adjacent to the Russian border with Kazakhstan.

According to Russia's Interfax news agency, rescuers are working to repair the dam in Orsk, which has a population of 220,000.

Russian authorities said that more than 1,800 homes in 95 localities had been flooded.

sdi/wd (Reuters, AFP)