Record floods threaten Russian city as waters rise
The Ural river, Europe’s third-longest, burst through a dam embankment in the city of Orsk at the weekend.
In Orenburg, a city of 500,000 about 300km (180 miles) downstream, waters are expected to reach record levels.
Parts of the Urals, western Siberia and the Volga basin have been hit by floods. More than 10,000 homes are under water, according to the emergency ministry.
“An increase in air temperatures, active snow melt and river openings are predicted,” the ministry said in a statement.
In Orenburg, about 1,500km (930 miles) south-east of Moscow, the Ural river is expected to reach unprecedented levels, peaking on Wednesday.
“Absolutely everyone who is in the flood zone needs to leave their homes,” Mayor Sergei Salmin said on Monday.
About 6,000 people have already been evacuated in Orenburg region.
