Russian authorities said on Monday, April 8 (April 20) that at least 10,000 houses have been flooded in this country.

Due to the rising water level in the rivers, the Natural Disaster Management Agency has evacuated a number of cities along the Ural Mountains in the Volga and Western Siberia regions.

On Sunday, Russia declared a federal state of emergency in the Orenburg region after the Ural River flooded much of the city of Orsk and the river reached dangerous levels in Orenburg.

The Ministry of Emergencies of Russia said on social networks: “River levels are predicted to rise in the regions of Siberia, the Privolzhye (Volga Region) and the Central Federal District due to warming weather and snow.” More than 10,400 residential houses have been flooded.”

Russia has already evacuated thousands of people from the Orenburg region near the Kazakh border. Much of the city of Orsk was flooded after heavy rain caused a dam to burst.

Officials of the Orenburg region said that the water level of the Ural River in Orsk has dropped by nine centimeters, but the water level in this city of 550,000 people is still dangerously high.

“In Orenburg, the water level rose by 16 centimeters in one day and reached 872 centimeters,” the regional government said.

Russian media quoted the city’s mayor, Sergei Salmin, as saying that the flood was expected to be “unprecedented” and that is why he had warned people to leave the area.

The Russian Meteorological Agency said that the floods will reach their peak in Orenburg on Wednesday and are expected to submerge other parts of the city.

Officials have warned of rising water levels of the Tubal River in the Tyumen and Kurgan regions of Siberia. Emergency services in the city of Kurgan, near the border with Kazakhstan, said they have started evacuating people from the city of 300,000 as a rescue measure.

The Kremlin has ordered authorities in Kurgan and Tyumen to prepare for a “natural disaster”.