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.
The deluge hit the region, located some 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) southeast of the capital, Moscow, on the border with Kazakhstan, after a dam on the Ural River burst last week in the city of Orsk under the pressure of surging waters. The authorities have designated the situation in the region as an emergency of federal importance.
OpenAI pauses ChatGPT voice after Scarlett Johansson comparisons
'Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes' reigns at the box office with $56.5 million opening
Diamondbacks avoid a sweep with a 9
Stock market today: Asian stocks drift lower after Wall St closes another winning week
Yvette Fielding says her Most Haunted co
BAFTA TV Awards 2024: Tess Daly exudes glamour in an off
Town prepares for possible 'last stand' as wildfires rage across Western Canada
Researchers unveil different response patterns of tumor
Liverpool confirms Arne Slot as Jurgen Klopp's replacement
Darvish strikes out seven in seven dominant innings as Padres beat Dodgers 4
Russian theater director and playwright go on trial over a play authorities say justifies terrorism
Nimmo rescues Mets off the bench on Mother's Day. Senga's rehab progressing slowly