Russian authorities announced mass evacuation for flood-hit city near Kazakhstan border

MOSCOW (AP) — Authorities in the Russian city of Orenburg, near the border with Kazakhstan, have announced a mass evacuation from there after water levels in the Ural River rose further, threatening the area with more flooding. The Orenburg mayor, Sergei Salmin, called on the residents in a statement on the messaging app Telegram on Friday morning to “urgently evacuate” as sirens rang out in the city. Over 11,700 houses remain flooded in the Orenburg region and some 10,700 people have already been evacuated from flooded areas. The deluge hit the region after a dam on the Ural River burst last week under surging waters.