– It enables federal interventions, says Emergency Preparedness Minister Alexander Kurenkov during a visit to Orsk about the declared state of emergency.
The dam burst after weeks of heavy rain in the Orenburg region. The collapse has led to widespread flooding in the Russian city, which is close to the border with Kazakhstan.
On Saturday, over 4,000 people were evacuated in Orenburg and thousands of homes were found to be affected by the floods.
Kazakhstan has also been affected by the floods. The country’s president Kasym-Zjomart Tokayev on Saturday called the situation one of the worst natural disasters in 80 years.