Floodwaters from Russia dam burst rise as Kazakhstan faces biggest natural disaster in 80 years

Kremlin says flooding inevitable in Urals region of Kurgan and Siberian region of Tyumen

Floodwaters surged through a pair of Russian cities in the Ural mountains after a dam burst over the weekend, inundating over 10,000 homes and forcing thousands to flee.

Authorities in Orenburg declared a state of emergency on Sunday. The region’s governor Denis Pasler said the floods were the worst to hit the region since records began.

Photos and videos showed people wading through neck-deep floodwaters or using boats to get out of the city with their kids, pets, and belongings.

State news agency Tass reported that six adults and three children had been hospitalised in Orsk.

The Ural river, originating in the Ural mountains and winding its way into the Caspian Sea, swelled rapidly after rupturing a dam embankment in Orsk, situated about 1,800km east of Moscow, on Friday. A Ural tributary that courses through the city of Yelshanka, also burst its banks, prompting urgent evacuation measures.

In the aftermath, flood warnings were issued in several downstream regions.

“The water is coming and in the coming days its level will only rise,” said Sergei Salmin, the mayor of Orenburg, a city of at least 550,000 people. “The flood situation remains critical.”

The Kremlin said that flooding was inevitable in the Urals region of Kurgan and the Siberian region of Tyumen.

Vladimir Putin ordered emergencies minister Alexander Kurenkov to fly to the affected regions. The Russian president also spoke with the local governors over the phone, the Kremlin said.

The flooding also affected neighbouring Kazakhstan where president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev described it as the country’s biggest natural disaster for 80 years.

People use rubber boats to cross a flooded street in Orsk (AP)

Federal investigators have launched a criminal case for negligence and violation of safety rules during the construction of the dam, which was built in 2010. Prosecutors said that it hadn’t been maintained properly.

Authorities in Orsk said the dam was built for a water level of 5.5m but the Ural river rose to 9.6m.

The Orsk oil refinery suspended work on Sunday due to the flooding. The refinery processed 4.5 million tons of oil last year.

Additional reporting by agencies