Dam collapses in Russia: thousands forced to evacuate

On Friday in Orsk, a city in Russia’s Ural Mountains and close to the border with Kazakhstan, thousands of people were evacuated after a section of a retaining dam on the Ural River broke.

picture of the flood

Emergency services have arrived on the scene to repair the dam. Up to 4 thousand homes and 10 thousand people are at risk from possible flooding of the river in the absence of a well-functioning dam, according to the Russian Civil Defense Ministry. About 230 thousand people live in Orsk. It is situated in the Orenburg region, some 1,800 kilometers from Moscow, which has already experienced flooding recently and has declared a state of emergency as a result.

According to reports on the website of the Ria Novosti news agency, the dam reportedly collapsed due to a combination of heavy rains, which had hit the area in recent days, along with work done on the dam when it was not appropriate.

At present, officially, there are no casualties, although there are reports on social media of two deaths. However, it is likely that the number of people who will have to be evacuated will grow.

In the meantime, authorities have given instructions not to drink the water, as it may be polluted