Russia on Saturday reported the evacuation of over 4,000 people in the Orenburg region, situated near the Kazakhstan border, following flooding caused by a dam breach.
Emergency response teams worked tirelessly overnight subsequent to the dam failure in Orsk, a city bordering Kazakhstan.
The press service of the Orenburg governor revealed that “4,208 persons, including 1,019 children,” were relocated, with over 2,500 residences impacted by the flooding resulting from Friday’s dam rupture amid heavy rainfall.
Russia opened a criminal case on “negligence and violation of construction safety rules” into the burst of the dam, built in 2014.
Authorities said the situation was difficult throughout the region, warning of a dangerous water level on the Ural River in the main city of Orenburg.
Governor Denis Pasler said the flood had reached its “peak”, saying the situation was especially difficult in Orsk.
Russian emergency services published images of rescue workers going through villages on boats and hovercrafts.
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Kazakh President, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said the floods were one of the worst natural disasters in Kazakhstan in 80 years.
He called for authorities in the Central Asian country to be ready to help those affected.
Several regions in the Urals and western Siberia have been affected by floods at the start of spring.
