Floodwaters from Russia dam burst rise as Kazakhstan faces biggest natural disaster in 80 years [Video]

Floodwaters surged through a pair of Russian cities in the Ural mountains after a dam burst over the weekend, inundating over 10,000 homes and forcing thousands to flee.

Authorities in Orenburg declared a state of emergency on Sunday. The region’s governor Denis Pasler said the floods were the worst to hit the region since records began.

Photos and videos showed people wading through neck-deep floodwaters or using boats to get out of the city with their kids, pets, and belongings.

State news agency Tass reported that six adults and three children had been hospitalised in Orsk.

The Ural river, originating in the Ural mountains and winding its way into the Caspian Sea, swelled rapidly after rupturing a dam embankment in Orsk, situated about 1,800km east of Moscow, on Friday. A Ural tributary that courses through the city …