Over 10,000 homes across Russia have been flooded as rapidly melting snow overflowed to some of Europe’s biggest rivers, giving rise to record water levels in the Ural Mountains, according to a report by Russia’s emergency ministry.
The Ural River, which rises in the Ural Mountains and flows into the Caspian Sea, had surged several meters in a matter of hours on Friday due to melted water, cascading through a dam embankment in the city of Orsk, 1,800 km (1,100 miles) east of Moscow.
Flooding has also been reported across Siberia, the Volga and central regions of Russia respectively.
Russia’s emergency ministry had this to say:
“An increase in air temperatures, active snow melt and river openings are anticipated. Over 10,400 residential buildings remain flooded in 39 regions.”
This is a developing story, more details to come…