Floods engulfed cities and towns across Russia and Kazakhstan after Europe's third-longest river burst its banks, forcing about 110,000 people to evacuate and swamping parts of the Russian city of Orenburg.

Orenburg Oblast

Cities and towns across Russia and Kazakhstan have been inundated with floodwaters following the overflow of Europe's third-longest river. This natural disaster has caused widespread disruption, submerging various urban and rural areas in both countries. Approximately 110,000 individuals have been forced to evacuate their homes in an effort to escape the rising waters.

Parts of the Russian city of Orenburg have been particularly affected, with significant swaths of the city being submerged. The situation highlights the severe impact of the floods on infrastructure, residential areas, and the lives of the affected populations in both Russia and Kazakhstan.



Floods swamp swaths of Russia and Kazakhstan

Floods engulfed cities across Russia and Kazakhstan on Wednesday, after Europe's third-longest river burst its banks, swamping parts of the Russian city of Orenburg and forcing over 100,000 people to evacuate. That included Valentin and Evgenia Porednya, forced to steer a motorboat through the streets. They sent their children to a parent's house out of town, but stayed behind to protect their home from looters. We have no police, no security guards, no one here. We're guarding our homes and neighbouring plots by our own efforts. Where can you go? Nowhere. Rapidly melting snow has swelled major rivers, including the Ural, which runs through Orenburg towards the Caspian Sea. Climate science professor at Reading University, Maria Shagendanova, said the unusual floods may be explained not only by heavy snow this last winter, but also the speed of the melt possibly due to climate change. Snow started melting very rapidly because temperatures were rising very rapidly and within basically days, temperatures went from zero to 17, 18 or even 20 degrees and that's what caused a very, very rapid snow melt. Kazakhstan officials said it is the worst flooding in Orenburg since records began. Russian news agencies quoted the emergency's ministry as saying 38 tonnes of aid, food, drugs and other necessities had been flown into the region. Kazakhstan has said nearly 100,000 people had been evacuated from flooding within its borders. Russia said over 10,000 houses were flooded across 37 regions, most in the Orenburg Oblast. Upstream on the Ural, which flows into Kazakhstan, floodwaters burst an embankment dam in the city of Osk last Friday.

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