More homes in Russia’s Orenburg flooded, water levels inch down

(Reuters): About 1,000 more homes were flooded in Russia’s Orenburg in the 24 hours to Sunday morning, but water levels in the Ural river that runs through the city have started subsiding, officials said.

“Last night was still quite tense,” said Deputy Mayor Alexei Kudinov, according to Russia’s RIA state news agency. “Almost 1,000 homes have been flooded in the past 24 hours.”

The Ural started to recede early on Sunday, Orenburg’s administration said on the Telegram messaging app.

Authorities in the southern Russian city near Kazakhstan called on thousands of residents to evacuate immediately on Friday as major rivers burst their banks after a historic deluge of melting snow.

Waters continued to rise sharply in the Russian region of Kurgan, east of Orenburg and also bordering Kazakhstan. Officials told the TASS state news agency that several settlements along the Tobol river were expected to be flooded in the next couple days.

TASS reported that some 770 homes were flooded in the region in the 24 hours to early Sunday.