Russia floods leave houses almost submerged

World 16:45 12.04.2024

Floods in the Russian city of Orenburg have raised water levels to two metres above critical, leaving just the roofs of some houses showing, Ednews reports via BBC.

The city's mayor urged many residents to leave home, as sirens sounded.

Levels in Orenburg are likely to peak on Friday, but floods are expected to spread through neighbouring regions over the coming days and weeks.

Kazakhstan has also been badly affected, with 100,000 people evacuated from their homes in the last week.

The flooding is being described as the worst to hit the region in 80 years.

Last week, several rivers - including the Ural, Europe's third-largest - burst their banks. A number flow back and forth between Russia and Kazakhstan.

High seasonal temperatures have led to rapidly melting snow and ice, compounded by heavy rains.

The Ural river reached 11.43m (37ft) in Orenburg on Friday. Authorities say that more than 10,000 people have been evacuated there, and 11,700 homes have been flooded.

Mayor Sergei Salmin has called for further mass evacuations in some districts.

"Leave your homes immediately. The situation is critical, don't waste time!" he said on his Telegram channel, adding that the sirens being heard in the city were not an exercise.

The city has a population of half a million and is about 1,500km (930 miles) south-east of Moscow.

Water levels have fallen in Orsk, further east and upstream of Orenburg. Orsk was badly affected last weekend after a dam burst and saw rare public protests against low compensation offers and perceived failures by local authorities to save the dam.

From Orenburg the Ural flows through northwest Kazakhstan and into the Caspian Sea.

The Ishim and Tobol rivers are also reaching dangerous levels, and are only predicted to peak around 23-24 April.

Floodwaters are threatening a whole swathe of northern Kazakhstan and many dams and reservoirs there are filled to capacity.

In Petropavl on the Ishim river, in North Kazakhstan region, a local reservoir was threatening to overflow, potentially flooding a major road between two Russian cities - Chelyabinsk and Novosibirsk.

Meanwhile the Russian village of Kaminskoye has been evacuated after levels in the Tobol rose 1.4m overnight, regional governor Vadim Shumkov said.

Kurgan, the regional capital and city of 300,000, lies downstream and is also thought to be at risk.

IEPF issued a statement regarding Azerbaijani children at the UN Human Rights Council

News line

Massive Israeli Air Strikes Hit Missile Sites in Iran's Tabriz and Kermanshah
15:39 20.06.2025
Pashinyan arrives in Türkiye on working visit
14:56 20.06.2025
Erdogan, Merz mull Israel-Iran conflict in phone call
14:07 20.06.2025
Mher Grigoryan: Azerbaijan, Armenia continue to work within border delimitation
13:03 20.06.2025
Araghchi: UN Security Council Must Respond to Israeli Attack on Khondab Nuclear Facility
11:00 20.06.2025
Belarus Contributing to Development of Azerbaijan's Industry, Says Ambassador
10:59 20.06.2025
Netherlands Embassy in Tel Aviv Damaged During Iran's Missile Strike
13:05 19.06.2025
Azerbaijan and BP Discuss Decarbonization and Energy Projects Amid Strengthening Strategic Partnership
13:00 19.06.2025
Delegates of 65th PABSEC General Assembly Begin Official Visit to Karabakh
11:54 19.06.2025
UK, German, and French Foreign Ministers to Hold High-Level Talks with Iran on June 20 in Geneva
11:44 19.06.2025
Ambassador: Azerbaijan Ready to Cooperate with Mexico in Energy Transition
11:10 19.06.2025
Azerbaijan Showcases Literary Heritage at Beijing International Book Fair
17:00 18.06.2025
Minsk Hosts Public Discussion on Return to Western Azerbaijan
16:55 18.06.2025
German Foreign Minister Urges Iran to Make Concessions, Supports Israel’s Concerns
16:41 18.06.2025
Explosions Rock Eastern Tehran Amid Escalating Israel-Iran Tensions
15:38 18.06.2025
Türkiye’s Strategic Role in the Turkic World Genci Muçaj
15:10 18.06.2025
Khamenei: Iran Will Emerge Victorious in Conflict With Israel
13:51 18.06.2025
Mobilization Against Peace: Armenia's Return to a Radical Past
17:01 17.06.2025
Israel prepares more complex operation against Iran
13:50 17.06.2025
Armenia and India discuss evacuation of Indian students from Iran
12:01 17.06.2025
Navies of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan start joint exercises
11:58 17.06.2025
Azerbaijan Mine Action Agency: 1,258 hectares cleared of mines last week
11:53 17.06.2025
More than 600 citizens of 17 countries evacuated from Iran via Azerbaijan
11:44 17.06.2025
IEA: Azerbaijan falls short of OPEC+ quota by 0.08 million b/d in May
11:41 17.06.2025
Iran attacks military sites in Tel Aviv, Haifa with 'new weapon' and drones
11:37 17.06.2025
Foreign diplomats briefed on addressing IDP issues in Azerbaijan
11:33 17.06.2025
Israeli-linked hackers claim to have hacked Iran's Bank Sepah
11:29 17.06.2025
Turkic states' investment promotion platform launched
10:53 17.06.2025
Israel strengthens borders with Egypt and Jordan, some troops withdrawn from Gaza
15:16 16.06.2025
Israel says it has full control of Tehran's airspace
15:11 16.06.2025
Poland plans to evacuate its citizens in Israel via Jordan
15:07 16.06.2025
10 Tajik citizens evacuated from Iran via Azerbaijan
13:58 16.06.2025
Erdogan and Pezeshkian spoke by phone, discussing Turkey's mediation
13:52 16.06.2025
Some AZAL flights scheduled for today have been canceled, while others have been suspended until the end of the month
13:35 16.06.2025
Erdogan and Putin discussed the Israel Iran conflict
13:17 16.06.2025
Azerbaijani and Uzbek Foreign Ministers discuss security issues in the region J
13:03 16.06.2025
Presentation of books dedicated to the cultural heritage of Azerbaijan held in Paris
12:48 16.06.2025
Kremlin: Russia has handed over more than 6000 bodies to Ukraine
12:27 16.06.2025
It is still unclear what exactly the European Union wants
14:15 14.06.2025
The Caspian Sea is not a dividing, but a unifying factor.
14:02 14.06.2025
Hamısı