Russia, Kazakhstan evacuate over 100,000 people amid worst flooding in decades

FILE PHOTO: Rescuers make their way on a flooded residential area in the city of Orsk, Russia, April 6, 2024, in this still image taken from video. Russian Emergencies Ministry/Handout via REUTERS/ File Photo

ORSK, Russia (Reuters) -Russia and Kazakhstan ordered more than 100,000 people to evacuate after swiftly melting snow swelled mighty rivers beyond bursting point in the worst flooding in the area for at least 70 years.

The deluge of melt water overwhelmed scores of settlements in the Ural Mountains, Siberia and areas of Kazakhstan close to rivers such as the Ural and Tobol, which local officials said had risen by metres (yards) in a matter of hours to the highest levels ever recorded.