More than 100,000 people have been evacuated in parts of Russia and Kazakhstan as the region faces the worst flooding in decades.
A deluge of melting snow has triggered widespread flooding in Siberia, the Ural Mountains and areas of Kazakhstan near rivers such as the Ural and Tobol in recent days.
Officials said earlier this week that water levels had swollen by metres within a matter of hours.
The Kremlin has warned that more regions are likely to flood after the Ural, Europe’s third-longest river, burst its banks.
In Orenburg, one of the worst affected cities, the Ural’s water level was above 10 metres (38.2ft) on Wednesday.
Denis Pasler, the regional governor of Orenburg, said on Telegram: “I am calling for caution and for those in flooded districts to evacuate promptly.”
City residents were pictured paddling along flooded roads as dams and embankments had to be strengthened.
Rescuers carry an elderly woman to safety. Pic: AP
‘Difficult days still ahead’
Extensive evacuations have taken place across Russia and Kazakhstan due to melting snow.
The majority of these have been in Kazakhstan, where more than 97,000 have been evacuated.
In total, around 14,000 houses have been flooded in both countries.
A man holds his cat as he pulls a boat with emergency workers in a flooded area in Orenburg, Russia. Pic: AP
A satellite view shows floodwaters around homes near Orenburg airbase. Pic: Maxar/Reuters
Sirens in Kurgan, a city along the Tobol river, warned people to evacuate immediately as regional officials said floodwaters would continue to rise for three days. They predicted a “difficult situation” until the end of the month.
A state of emergency was also declared in Tyumen, a major oil-producing region in western Siberia.
A man pushes an inflatable boat with a boy in a flooded area in Orenburg. Pic: AP
A flooded graveyard in Orsk. Pic: AP
“The difficult days are still ahead for the Kurgan and Tyumen regions,” Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
“There is a lot of water coming,” he added.
The worst-hit areas in Kazakhstan are Atyrau, Aktobe, Akmola, Kostanai, Eastern Kazakhstan, Northern Kazakhstan and Pavlodar regions, most of which border Russia and are crossed by rivers originating in Russia such as the Ural and the Tobol.
The worst-hit areas in Russia are just to the south of the Ural Mountains.
Flooded areas in Sorochinsk. Pic: Maxar Technologies/AP
Evacuees in Orsk climb off an amphibious vehicle that helped them escape flooded properties. Pic: AP
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‘Let’s laugh later alive’
In Kurgan, a region with 800,000 residents, drone footage showed houses isolated by the floods.
Kurgan governor Vadim Shumkov urged people to evacuate after claiming some had ignored warnings and stayed behind.
He said: “We understand you very well: It is hard to leave your possessions and move somewhere at the call of the local authorities.
“It’s better that we laugh at the hydrologists together later and praise God for the miracle of our common salvation. But let’s do it alive.”
In the area, 19,000 people were said to be at risk.
Even in some places where water levels have briefly subsided, like Orsk, they remain well over official danger levels.
State media say Russia’s government has declared the situation in flood-hit areas in the Orenburg region a federal emergency. Pic: AP
Russian emergency situations minister Alexander Kurenkov (centre left) stands on a boat observing water levels, in Orsk. Pic: AP
Putin watching
The Kremlin said that Russian President Vladimir Putin was being updated on the flooding.
Mr Putin has spoken to Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev about the situation facing the two countries.
Mr Tokayev said the flooding was probably the worst in 80 years.
Flooding has worsened over recent days and the Kremlin warns water is still rising. Pic: AP
After part of a dam burst nearby, floodwater covers much of a highway connecting lower and upper parts of Orsk. Pic: AP
However, in Russia anger boiled over as some people pleaded for help – and felt they received none.
Some chanted “shame on you” at local officials who they claimed had done too little.
