Devastating floods continue in Siberia

Western Siberia and the Urals, as well as Russia’s neighboring Kazakhstan, have been hit by devastating floods, forcing thousands of people to leave their homes in flooded villages and towns.

The water level has dropped in several places, including the worst-hit Orenburg region, but now the Kurgan and Tyumen regions are threatened by flooding.

Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov said the floods in the Siberian regions will reach their peak in the middle of this week. “All services are fully mobilized and taking all necessary measures,” he added.

Tyumen authorities said they had evacuated eight villages due to rising water levels in the Tobola River, and warned that the Ishima River was also at risk of overflowing.

“The situation is tense. The water in the Ishima River is rising very dynamically,” Tyumen Governor Alexander Mor told Russian state television.

He said the water level in the river was likely to reach a “historically high” level, adding that authorities were considering a forced evacuation.

Mor warned Sunday that as the ice melts, the river will “flow heavily,” threatening the town of Ishima, home to about 65,000 residents.