Hundreds Evacuated after Floods Break Dam in Russia's Flood-Hit Far East (+Video)
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Nearly 300 houses with over 900 inhabitants have been inundated in a suburb of the Far Eastern Russian city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur after a nearby dam was destroyed in rising floods.
Up to 700 people have been evacuated so far, local Emergencies Ministry reported. The Mendeleyev settlement, where the dam is located, is home to 4,500 people; about a thousand of them are said to be in immediate danger.
Those living on ground and second floors of apartment buildings have been evacuated, while inhabitants of apartments on higher floors are currently refusing to leave, Emergency Situations First Deputy Minister, Sergey Shlyakov, told RIA news. “Water and food supplies have been organized for them,” he added.
Hot water has been cut off in the Mendeleyev settlement, while drinking water is currently being brought up by tankers. 19 rescue workers have been on duty overnight with six boats, as well as Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations' Mi-8 helicopter.
Up to 16,000 people have already been evacuated and 98,800 people have been affected by the ongoing flooding of the Amur River. Deputy Prime Minister Yury Trutnev said on Wednesday that Russia’s federal government is providing $360 million in aid to parts of the Far East that have been devastated by the raging flash floods.
The most difficult situation is near Komsomolsk-on-Amur, in the flood-hit Khabarovsk territory, where the level of the Amur River is growing by 13-15 centimeters a day, and has already reached 8.71 meters. According to Trutnev, a further 36,000 people might need to be evacuated from the area if floodwaters continue to rise.
