– Putin, help us!
– Shame!
This was the cry from several hundred protesters on Monday, according to the state news agency Tass.
They had gathered in front of the administration building in protest against the fact that 6,000 people have been forced to evacuate their homes in Russia.
The reason is a dam failure close to the city, which has led to great destruction in the southern region bordering Kazakhstan.
Orsk lies southeast of the Ural Mountains. The peak here was reached on Tuesday, according to local authorities.
Photo: ANATOLIY ZHDANOV / AFP
The last drop came from a sign of spring: large amounts of meltwater from the Ural Mountains and Siberia, which overflowed some of the largest waterways in the Orenburg region, where Orsk is located.
Both Russia and neighboring countries have declared a state of emergency as a result of the water volumes. The water is still rising in several places.
The Russian government believes that the damage on their side of the border will cost around NOK 2.3 billion. But the consequences are far greater further south.
More than 6,000 people have been evacuated. Here, an elderly woman gets help to get to safety.
Photo: AP
Worst natural disaster in more than 80 years
86,000 people have been rescued or evacuated from their homes in Kazakhstan, according to local authorities.
Ten regions in Kazakhstan are affected. President Kassym-Jomart Tokajev said on Saturday that it was the worst natural disaster they have had in more than 80 years.
– We must take to heart all the lessons from these great fools, he said in the televised speech.
Although the neighboring country also tells of great destruction, NRK only has access to the images of the disaster on the Russian side of the border.
Photo: AP
Demonstrations are a rare sight in Russia, where criticism of the authorities has been severely cracked down on following the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
But Monday’s demonstration in Orsk was met with a promise.
The governor of the Orenburg region says they will pay 10,000 rubles in monthly compensation to all the evacuees.
The amount corresponds to approximately NOK 1,100, and the support will last for six months.
Orsk has now reached the summit, say local authorities according to Russian media. This is one of the churchyards in the city.
Photo: Anatoly Zhdanov / AP
Flaumvarsel i Orenburg by
In the city of Orsk, the flood peak has been reached and the water level is on the way down, writes Tass on Tuesday afternoon and quotes mayor Vasilij Kozupitsa.
But the agency adds that the city of Orenburg, which lies 230 kilometers north-west as the crow flies, could be overrun within the next 24 hours.
There is much uncertainty about how much the water may rise. Both Tass and Ria Novosti calculated that it will be 5 and 40 centimeters higher in this period.
The water in the Ural and Samara rivers further west is expected to rise by 5 to 40 centimetres, local authorities report.
Photo: Anatoly Zhdanov / AP
In a statement on Tuesday, the Kremlin says that President Vladimir Putin will be focused on dealing with the consequences of the embarrassment in the coming days. But he has no plans to visit Orenburg in the near future.
– The difficult days are still ahead of us for the Kurgan and Tyumen regions, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to Reuters.
– There is a lot of water on the road.
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Published 09/04/2024, at 15.20 Updated 09.04.2024, at 15.29
2024-04-09 13:20:59
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