Russian authorities announced mass evacuation for flood-hit city near Kazakhstan border
Authorities in the Russian city of Orenburg, near the border with Kazakhstan, have announced a mass evacuation from there after water levels in the Ural River rose further, threatening the area with more flooding
By AP News
Published - Apr 12, 2024, 05:21 PM ET
Last Updated - Apr 12, 2024, 05:21 PM EDT
MOSCOW (AP) — Authorities in the Russian city of Orenburg, near the border with Kazakhstan, on Friday announced a mass evacuation from there after water levels in the Ural River rose further, threatening the area with more flooding.
The Orenburg mayor, Sergei Salmin, called on the residents in a statement on the messaging app Telegram in the morning to “urgently evacuate” as sirens rang out in the city.
“This is not a drill,” Salmin wrote. “The flood situation in Orenburg is extremely dangerous. Over the past 10 hours, the water level in the Ural (River) has risen by 40 centimeters and is now at 11.43 (meters). These values are dangerous.”
Images from the city showed entire districts submerged in water.
