Situation remains serious

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The flood situation in southern Russia remains tense.(Bild: AFP)

Almost 18,000 houses were flooded during the devastating spring floods in Russia. Another 1700 were added within a day. The areas of Orenburg in the south of the Ural Mountains and Kurgan in Siberia were particularly affected, where the flood continued to spread.

In the regional capital of the same name, Kurgan, the Tobol River swelled by almost one and a half meters within a day. The responsible disaster control minister, Alexander Kurenkov, reported again to President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday evening. According to the report, a record flood level must be expected in the Kurgan region.

1500 people brought to safety
The situation in the Siberian region of Tyumen is also worrying, said the minister. There, the water level of the Tobol and Ishim rivers was rising rapidly, threatening to flood 94 villages with 34,000 inhabitants. Around 1500 people were brought to safety from threatened areas in the Tyumen region on Thursday.

The flood situation in southern Russia remains tense.(Bild: AFP)

Many have lost all their belongings
After a snowy winter and lots of rain, the spring flooding in parts of Russia is unusually severe. Tens of thousands of people have already lost their belongings.

Residents of the affected regions complain that the authorities ignored the impending danger for a very long time. Protective measures were taken too late.

Flooding in Kazakhstan too
In the neighboring Central Asian state of Kazakhstan, the floods are similarly severe. However, the evacuation of threatened areas began earlier there. More than 100,000 people were brought to safety from the floods.