More homes flooded in Russian region bordering Kazakhstan, other areas

MOSCOW (AP) — Nearly 14,500 homes have been flooded in a Russian region bordering Kazakhstan after water levels spiked in a local river, local authorities said Tuesday. The floods sparked evacuations of thousands in the Orenburg region, located some 1,200 kilometers southeast of the capital of Moscow, after a dam on the Ural River burst last week under the pressure of surging waters. Local authorities have classified the deluge as an emergency of federal importance, and more than 16,500 people have been evacuated from the flooded areas, the office of the Orenburg governor said Tuesday.