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

OpenAI is working on its own X-like social network, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter
12:21 18.04.2025
Kazakhstan extends a hand of compassion to Afghanistan through humanitarian aid
12:08 18.04.2025
The Pompidou Centre’s Bold Legacy and Future Transformation
11:59 18.04.2025
Scientists Find Promising Indication of Extraterrestrial Life
11:43 18.04.2025
WHO Members Agree on Legally Binding Pandemic Treaty to Strengthen Global Response
11:35 18.04.2025
Cosmic Map Reveals 14 Billion Years of Dark Matter’s Influence
11:28 18.04.2025
Europe’s Euclid Space Telescope Begins Mission to Unveil the Universe’s Dark Secrets
11:20 18.04.2025
Canadian Leaders Face Off in Final Debate as Trump Looms Large
11:09 18.04.2025
Weekend Travel Alert: Expect Delays at Jersey Airport and Ferry Terminals
11:04 18.04.2025
Author Reflects on 8-Year Journey of Self-Publishing Sketchbooks Despite Setbacks
10:57 18.04.2025
Over 300 Works Featured in Easter Weekend Art Exhibition
10:40 18.04.2025
Trump Sets New Port Fees to Challenge China, Boost US Shipbuilding
10:31 18.04.2025
US Dismantles Large Parts of Controversial Migrant Camp at Guantanamo Bay
10:25 18.04.2025
U.S. Airstrike Destroys Houthi Fuel Terminal in Yemen Amid Escalating Red Sea Tensions
10:18 18.04.2025
Florida State University Shooting Leaves Two Dead Suspect Hospitalized
10:11 18.04.2025
Ukraine and US Sign Minerals Deal, Eye Economic Pact and Reconstruction Fund
10:05 18.04.2025
Hamas Rejects Israeli Ceasefire Offer, Demands Full End to War
09:52 18.04.2025
Russia Seizing Thousands of Homes from Ukrainians Who Fled Mariupol
12:39 17.04.2025
Peter Dutton Clarifies: “I Believe in Climate Change” After Backlash Over Debate Remarks
12:28 17.04.2025
Empowering Small Businesses: How Visa Transform Data into Strategic Advantage
12:17 17.04.2025
The New Face of Power: Trump’s ‘Trumpant’ Gaze and the Reinvention of Political Iconography
12:11 17.04.2025
Three Centuries of American Photography: A Landmark Exhibition at the Rijksmuseum
12:03 17.04.2025
The Lebanese Plane: Mystery Jet Linked to Assad’s Inner Circle
11:49 17.04.2025
Trump Administration Deports 17 Alleged Gang Members to El Salvador Amid Legal Challenges
11:36 17.04.2025
Unveiling K2-18b: A World on the Edge of Discovery
11:22 17.04.2025
Jagmeet Singh: NDP Leader Faces Uphill Battle Ahead of Federal Election
11:13 17.04.2025
Between Two Flags: Poilievre’s Populism in the Shadow of Trump
11:01 17.04.2025
Bat roost plans at former brickworks housing site
10:51 17.04.2025
EU Proposes Fast-Track Migration Rules Amid Concerns Over Human Rights
10:46 17.04.2025
Critical Talks in Paris: U.S. and European Officials Discuss Ending the War in Ukraine
10:38 17.04.2025
The Rhythm of the Visible: Sean Scully’s Modern Abstraction
10:30 17.04.2025
US Struggles to Secure Rare Earths Amid Tensions and Limited Capacity
10:22 17.04.2025
Canadian Leaders Clash Over Trump, Tariffs, and Housing in First Debate
10:11 17.04.2025
Trump Defies Court Order in El Salvador Deportation Dispute
10:02 17.04.2025
Trump Revokes Biden’s Security Clearance, Citing Precedent Set in 2021
13:18 16.04.2025
Is Canada a Part of the United Kingdom?
13:10 16.04.2025
In the Footsteps of Egeria: Jordan’s Forgotten Pilgrimage Trail
13:01 16.04.2025
The Magical Moment of the Dolomites: Peaks Bathed in Pink by the Enrosadira
12:53 16.04.2025
Cair Vie Wind Farm: Balancing Renewable Energy with Wildlife Protection
12:47 16.04.2025
Israel to Intensify Military Offensive Across Gaza
12:40 16.04.2025
Hamısı