Outrage as Russian dam collapse triggers flood, official claims ignored
The dam in Orsk, in the Orenburg region in Russia, broke on Friday. Then, the evacuation of the residents began. The authorities, overwhelmed by the disaster, called on residents to evacuate independently and immediately.
Water has now inundated over 6,000 homes. The peak of the flood wave is expected around April 10. The authorities have enacted the "typhoon" plan and declared a state of emergency at the federal level.
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"Today, April 7, the flood situation remains critical. On his Telegram channel, " water levels continue to rise and are expected to increase in the coming days," wrote Orsk's mayor, Vasily Kozupitsa.
The head of the Ministry for Emergency Situations, prompted by Vladimir Putin, who publicly insisted that the head of the department should be on the ground personally, travelled to the site. A few hours after this directive, a plane with the minister on board departed from Moscow.
On-site, Minister Alexander Kurenkov met with reporters from the Kremlin's propaganda operations.
The Rossija24 channel aired a report on the rescuers' efforts in Orsk, including a statement from Kurenkov.
Kurenkov reiterated that "the evacuation was announced a week ago," but "people didn't act because they presumed it was a joke." He added that the water level would continue to rise for another week.
On social media, Orsk residents criticized the official's remarks. As late as April 3, mayor Kozupitsa indicated on his website that "there is currently no such danger" and pointed out that this year's flood would be "the first significant test of the dam's strength." Three days after that, it collapsed.
Russian authorities are also concealing the number of casualties. Initially, local authorities reported that four people had perished in the flood.
Later, federal authorities claimed that their deaths were not related to the disaster.
