MOSCOW (AP) — Flooding caused by rising water levels in the Ural River breached a dam in a city near Russia's border with Kazakhstan, forcing the evacuation of about 2,000 people, local officials said.
The dam broke in the city of Orsk in the Orenburg region, less than 2 kilometers (12.4 miles) north of the border on Friday night, according to Orsk Mayor Vasily Kozupitsa. By Saturday morning, more than 2,400 residential buildings in the city of 200,000 were flooded and electricity was cut in many areas. Evacuation efforts are still ongoing.
Footage from Orsk showed streets filled with single-storey houses filled with water.
According to local officials, the dam can withstand water levels up to 5. meters (about 18 feet). Kozupitsa said the water level reached about 9. meters (30.51 feet) on Saturday morning and was rising.
Officials also said flooding had also affected other locations in the region located in the Ural Mountains region, leading to the evacuation of about 4,000 people. It was not clear whether that number included the 2,000 people already evacuated in Orsk.
The Ural River, approximately 2,428 kilometers (1,509 mi) long, flows from the southern part of the Urals through Russia and Kazakhstan to the northern end of the Caspian Sea.
Russia's Investigative Committee launched a criminal investigation to investigate suspected construction safety violations and negligence that could have led to the dam collapse.
NPK
The dam broke in the city of Orsk in the Orenburg region, less than 2 kilometers (12.4 miles) north of the border on Friday night, according to Orsk Mayor Vasily Kozupitsa. By Saturday morning, more than 2,400 residential buildings in the city of 200,000 were flooded and electricity was cut in many areas. Evacuation efforts are still ongoing.
Footage from Orsk showed streets filled with single-storey houses filled with water.
According to local officials, the dam can withstand water levels up to 5. meters (about 18 feet). Kozupitsa said the water level reached about 9. meters (30.51 feet) on Saturday morning and was rising.
Officials also said flooding had also affected other locations in the region located in the Ural Mountains region, leading to the evacuation of about 4,000 people. It was not clear whether that number included the 2,000 people already evacuated in Orsk.
The Ural River, approximately 2,428 kilometers (1,509 mi) long, flows from the southern part of the Urals through Russia and Kazakhstan to the northern end of the Caspian Sea.
Russia's Investigative Committee launched a criminal investigation to investigate suspected construction safety violations and negligence that could have led to the dam collapse.
NPK
