Heavy floods in Russia spread to 40 regions as Ural River in Orenburg water exceeds critical levels

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - The Russian Emergency Situations Ministry reported on Wednesday that the number of flood-affected regions in the country increased to 40.

The Orenburg region bore the brunt of the deluge, with water levels in the Ural River exceeding critical levels in two of the region's major cities -- the administrative center of Orenburg, which has a population of around 550,000, and the city of Orsk, it said.

On Wednesday morning, Orenburg Mayor Sergey Salmin announced that the water level in the Ural River in Orenburg had risen to 9.96 meters, exceeding the critical level of 9.30 meters by 66 centimeters.

Meanwhile, Russian Construction Minister Irek Faizullin arrived in Orsk to personally supervise the dam restoration that broke out on April 5 because of the heavy rain.

The authorities warn that the flooding will reach its peak later on Wednesday, and all emergency and rescue services have been mobilized to deal with any possible complications.

In a separate statement, the Orenburg region Health Ministry said cases of hepatitis A were recorded in flood-hit areas as people who refused to evacuate began using meltwater.

The ministry also recommended people to boil water before using it.

The authorities launched the vaccination campaign, and nearly 2,000 people in the city of Orsk received vaccinations against the disease over the past day, it said.

The northern and western regions of Kazakhstan, which border Russia, are also experiencing heavy flooding as the Kazakh authorities have declared a state of emergency in several regions.

Almost 10,000 people have been evacuated in Russia and Kazakhstan from inundated areas, and rescue operations are continued.​​​​​​​