Floods surge to critical levels in southern Russia
By Laura Gozzi
Russia has said the situation is “very, very tense” as floodwaters continue to rise in the city of Orenburg and surrounding areas.
“Large amounts of water are coming to new regions,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned on Wednesday.
Water levels in the Ural river near Orenburg rose to over 10m (33ft) on Wednesday, Ria news agency reported, well above its bursting point.
The flooding is being described as the worst to hit the region in 80 years.
Thousands of people have had to flee their homes in southern Russia, and officials in neighbouring Kazakhstan say the number of evacuees there has risen to 97,000.
Entire villages have been engulfed by overflowing rivers.
As many as 2,000 homes have been flooded in Orenburg, where water levels have surpassed the critical level of 9.3m and still rising. The city has a population of 550,000 and lies about 1,500km (930 miles) south-east of Moscow.
“So far, the forecast is not favourable. The water level continues to rise,” Mr Peskov said, adding that a “large amount” of floodwater would soon also reach the nearby regions of Kurgan and Tyumen.
