Russia has evacuated approximately 2,000 people after rising water levels in the Ural River caused a dam to break in Orsk, a city near the Russia-Kazakhstan border, Associated Press reports.
The dam was designed to withstand 5.5 meters of water but faced water levels of about 9.3 meters. The dam breach led to flooding in over 2,400 residential buildings, with electricity cut off in several areas. Floods also affected other areas in the Ural Mountains region, leading to the evacuation of nearly 4,000 people.
The Russian Investigative Committee initiated a criminal probe into suspected violations of construction safety regulations and negligence contributing to the dam’s failure.
