Russia evacuates over 4,000 people after dam burst

Russia evacuates 4,000 due to dam burst flooding in Orenburg region near Kazakhstan, sparking criminal case for negligence.

Russia on Saturday said it had evacuated 4,000 people in the Orenburg region, in the southern Urals near Kazakhstan, due to flooding after a dam burst.

Emergency services had been working through the night after a dam burst in the city of Orsk, near the border with Kazakhstan.

The press service of the Orenburg governor said "4,208 people, including 1,019 children" had been evacuated and more than 2,500 homes were affected by the flooding after a dam burst on Friday following torrential rain.

Russia opened a criminal case for "negligence and violation of construction safety rules" over the burst dam, which was built in 2014.

Orenburg regional governor Denis Pasler said specialists assessed that the dam was built "for a different weight" and that the level of rainfall was "exceptional".

Authorities said the situation was difficult throughout the region, warning of a dangerous water level on the Ural river in the main city of Orenburg.

The mayor of the city of half a million people, Sergei Salmin, said authorities would forcibly evacuate people from flooded zones if they refused orders to leave.