Russia: Thousands evacuated amid ‘critical’ flooding after dam breach in Urals

Thousands of people are being evacuated from the Russian Ural mountains in the Orenburg region after a section of a dam in the city of Orsk burst, reported the state media citing local officials, on Friday (Apr 5). This comes after rising waters in the Ural river flooded villages and reportedly caused a dam to burst.

Thousands evacuated, houses flooded

In a video message on the messaging app, Telegram, Orenburg Mayor Sergei Salmin said that the situation was “critical” and urged the residents of riverside settlements to evacuate immediately.

“Don’t wait for the situation to become threatening! Leave! You need to evacuate as quickly as possible,” said Salmin, as quoted by Reuters.

An emergency had been declared across the Orenburg region after levels in the Ural River rose to dangerous levels due to melting ice. According to the Orenburg mayor, 300 houses had already been flooded.

The regional government told the Russian news agency TASS that residents of the city of Orsk, which is 276 kilometres east of Orenburg, are being evacuated as more than 4,200 homes and almost 11,000 people may be affected by rising flood water.

Residents of the Leninsky and Sovetsky districts of Orsk are being evacuated, said the regional prosecutor’s office.

Around 440 relief workers and 217 pieces of equipment were deployed to deal with the aftermath of the dam burst in Orsk, reported TASS citing the Russian emergencies ministry.

The mountain city of Orsk is home to 230,000 people. According to the state news agency, the evacuation in the old part of the city was underway after a protective dam collapsed near Orenburgskaya Street.

So far, 135 people, including 55 children, have been evacuated to temporary shelters set up, the Russian emergencies ministry told TASS.

About the recent floods

A state of emergency hasbeen declared in the Orenburg region, said the country’s emergencies ministry.

The ministry personnel havehelped 3,500 people affected by flooding nationwide in recent days, according to officials.

Notably, a string of Russian Siberian and Urals mountain provinces, including the Orenburg region and neighbouring parts of Kazakhstan have witnessed floods in recent days.

(With inputs from agencies)