In Russia, after the rupture of a dam in Orsk, thousands of people and animals evacuated

INTERNATIONAL – A city under water. More than 4,000 people, including 1,000 children, were evacuated this Saturday April 6 from a flooded area following the failure of a dam on Friday in Orsk, located in the Russian region of Orenburg, in the Urals. . The incident was caused by massive rainfall during the snowmelt period.

A little more than 2,500 houses were flooded in this border region of Kazakhstan, said the press service of the regional governor, Denis Pasler, in a press release.

Emergency services on site evacuate civilians and animals using kayaks, as seen in the video at the top of the article. More than 500 specialists are already in Orsk, and reinforcements are expected to arrive soon, the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry said.

The level of the Urals on the verge of reaching a “critical” level

Evacuees are redirected “towards temporary accommodation centers”added Denis Pasler in a separate announcement, also announcing exceptional financial aid. “The situation in the old town is difficult”recognized the manager a little later, judging “the extent of the damage (…) considerable”.

According to regional authorities, the dam, which partially collapsed, is designed for a level of the Urals – the region’s great river – of 5.5 m, compared to the current 9.6 m.

In addition to the torrential rains that fell at the end of the week, regional authorities deplored the melting of snow which is causing ” the climb “ rivers in the region like ” reason ” additional to flooding.

Ural River water level ‘will continue to rise’, warned the mayor of the city of Orenburg, Sergei Salmine. “ The level could reach a critical threshold »he added, calling “everyone to immediately leave homes located in the flood zone” before having to use ” strength “.

A “natural disaster” in neighboring Kazakhstan

Local authorities, anticipating this rupture, asked residents on Thursday to evacuate several streets, the TASS agency reported. For its part, the regional prosecutor’s office indicated that” a warning “ had already been submitted to Orsk town hall in March regarding a “violation of legislation on the protection of the population and territories against natural and man-made emergencies”.

These floods also affect Kazakhstan, a country bordering Russia. In a speech to the nation, its president, Kassym-Jomart Tokaïev, spoke on Saturday ” a natural disaster “, “perhaps the greatest, in terms of scale and consequences, of the last 80 years”.

“The situation is difficult, but we must not despair”he assured, announcing that“due to flooding, local emergencies have been declared in ten regions of the country”.

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