Russians gathered in a rare protest Monday in the city of Orsk to demand compensation following the collapse of a dam and subsequent flooding in the Orenburg region near the border with Moscow and Kazakhstan.
The protests are an unusual sight in Russia, where authorities have increasingly cracked down on any form of dissent following President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Russian state news agency Tass said hundreds of people gathered in front of the administrative building in Orsk on Monday, while videos shared on Russian social media channels showed people chanting "Putin, help us," and "Shame on you." is shown.
More than 4,000 people, including 885 children, were forced to evacuate in the Orenburg region due to flooding caused by rising water levels in the Ural River, the regional government said on Sunday. Tass said on Monday that about 10,000 homes in the region, including about 7,000 in Orsk, had been flooded and that floodwaters in the city were continuing to rise.Russia's government on Sunday declared flood-hit areas of Orenburg a state of federal emergency, with preparations underway for possible flooding in three other regions, state media reported.
After the protests, Tass reported that the governor of the Orenburg region, Denis Pasler, promised to pay compensation payments of 10,000 rubles (about $108) per month for six months to people forced from their homes due to flooding.
The regional government said on Sunday that total damage from flooding in the region was estimated at about 21 billion rubles ($227 million).
Orsk, 20 kilometers (less than 13 miles) north of the border with Kazakhstan, bore the brunt of flooding that caused a dam to burst on Friday, according to Orsk Mayor Vasily Kozupitsa.
A criminal investigation has been launched to investigate suspected construction violations that may have led to the dam breach.Local officials said the da could withstand water levels up to 5.5 meters (about 18 feet). On Saturday morning, the water level reached about 9.3 meters (30.51 feet) and Kozupitsa said. The level in Orsk reached 9.7 meters (31.82 feet) on Sunday, according to Russia's water level information site AllRivers.
Authorities in Orsk reported that four people had died, but said their deaths were not related to the flooding.
Footage from Orsk and Orenburg showed flooded streets filled with single-storey houses.Designating the situation as a federal emergency reflects the risk of flooding beyond the Orenburg region.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday that Russian President Vladimir Putin had spoken to the head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, as well as the heads of the Kurgan and Tyumen regions, located in the Ural Mountains region, to discuss the situation and the "necessity" of the situation. ...to quickly adopt measures for the assistance and possible evacuation of people."
The Ural River, approximately 2,428 kilometers (1,509 mi) long, flows from the southern part of the Ural Mountains through Russia and Kazakhstan to the northern end of the Caspian Sea.(AP)
AIIMS
The protests are an unusual sight in Russia, where authorities have increasingly cracked down on any form of dissent following President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Russian state news agency Tass said hundreds of people gathered in front of the administrative building in Orsk on Monday, while videos shared on Russian social media channels showed people chanting "Putin, help us," and "Shame on you." is shown.
More than 4,000 people, including 885 children, were forced to evacuate in the Orenburg region due to flooding caused by rising water levels in the Ural River, the regional government said on Sunday. Tass said on Monday that about 10,000 homes in the region, including about 7,000 in Orsk, had been flooded and that floodwaters in the city were continuing to rise.Russia's government on Sunday declared flood-hit areas of Orenburg a state of federal emergency, with preparations underway for possible flooding in three other regions, state media reported.
After the protests, Tass reported that the governor of the Orenburg region, Denis Pasler, promised to pay compensation payments of 10,000 rubles (about $108) per month for six months to people forced from their homes due to flooding.
The regional government said on Sunday that total damage from flooding in the region was estimated at about 21 billion rubles ($227 million).
Orsk, 20 kilometers (less than 13 miles) north of the border with Kazakhstan, bore the brunt of flooding that caused a dam to burst on Friday, according to Orsk Mayor Vasily Kozupitsa.
A criminal investigation has been launched to investigate suspected construction violations that may have led to the dam breach.Local officials said the da could withstand water levels up to 5.5 meters (about 18 feet). On Saturday morning, the water level reached about 9.3 meters (30.51 feet) and Kozupitsa said. The level in Orsk reached 9.7 meters (31.82 feet) on Sunday, according to Russia's water level information site AllRivers.
Authorities in Orsk reported that four people had died, but said their deaths were not related to the flooding.
Footage from Orsk and Orenburg showed flooded streets filled with single-storey houses.Designating the situation as a federal emergency reflects the risk of flooding beyond the Orenburg region.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday that Russian President Vladimir Putin had spoken to the head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, as well as the heads of the Kurgan and Tyumen regions, located in the Ural Mountains region, to discuss the situation and the "necessity" of the situation. ...to quickly adopt measures for the assistance and possible evacuation of people."
The Ural River, approximately 2,428 kilometers (1,509 mi) long, flows from the southern part of the Ural Mountains through Russia and Kazakhstan to the northern end of the Caspian Sea.(AP)
AIIMS
