MOSCOW ( AP ) – Floods caused by rising water levels in the Ural River broke a dam in a city near Russia’s border with Kazakhstan, forcing some 2, 000 people to evacuate, local authorities said.
The dam broke in the city of Orsk in the Orenburg region, less than 20 kilometers ( 12.4 miles ) north of the border on Friday night, according to Orsk mayor Vasily Kozupitsa. By Saturday night, more than 2, 400 private buildings in the city of 200, 000 were flooded and power was cut off in various places. Removal efforts are still continued.
ORSK, RUSSIA APRIL 05: ( —- EDITORIAL USE ONLY- Required Funds-” RUSSIAN MINISTRY OF EMEGENCY SITUATIONS / HANDOUT” NO Selling NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS—-) Residents are being evacuated cooperatively due to flooding after a pond burst in the city of Orsk, A huge place in the area was allegedly flooded as a result of a significant breach in the bridge on the Ural River passing through the city, according to a statement from the Orsk Municipality. ( Photo by Russian Ministry of Emergency / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images )
Water was seen on images from Orsk covering the roadways dotted with one-story homes.
According to local government, the bridge could resist water amounts up to 5.5 feet ( nearly 18 foot ). On Saturday morning, the water level reached about 9.3 meters ( 30.51 feet ) and rising, Kozupitsa said.
Officials said the Ural Mountains area, where almost 4, 000 people were evacuated, was affected by floods that also affected other areas of the area. It was n’t clear whether the 2, 000 already evacuated in Orsk were included in that number.
A screen grab from a picture shows people are being evacuated collectively due to flooding after a pond burst in the area of Orsk, Russia on April 6, 2024. ( —- EDITORIAL USE ONLY – MANDATORY CREDIT — RUSSIAN Government OF EMEGENCY Circumstances / HANDOUT) A significant dam breach on the river that flows through the city caused a large area of the region to flood, according to the Orsk Municipality’s statement. More than 700 people were forced to leave the flooded area. ( Photo by Russian Ministry of Emergency/Anadolu via Getty Images )
( Photo by Russian Ministry of Emergency/Anadolu via Getty Images )
The Ural River, about 2, 428 kilometers- ( 1, 509 miles ) long, flows from the southern section of the Urals into the north end of the Caspian Sea, through Russia and Kazakhstan.
The Russian Investigative Committee launched a criminal investigation into alleged negligence and violations of construction safety regulations that might have caused the dam to break.
