Elizabeth Schumacher Deutsche Welle Sat, 29 Jun 2019 10:15 UTC
The Irkutsk region has been hit by torrential rains, causing Lake Baikal and the Angara River to burst their banks. At least five people have been killed and hundreds injured.
At least five people have died and hundreds more injured in massive floods sweeping Siberia on Saturday, Russian media has reported. President Vladimir Putin travelled to the affected area as he returned from the G20 summit in Japan.
Emergency Situations Minister Yevgeny Zinichev told Interfax news agency that five people, one of whom is believed to be a child, have died as the massive Lake Baikal and Angara River have begun to burst their banks. At least 350 people have been injured, 100 of whom have had to be treated at local hospitals.
At least 10,000 people are affected by the floods brought on by torrential rains. At least 50 villages on the shores of Lake Baikal are inaccessible, and the larger city of Bratsk has also been affected. More than 4,000 buildings have been destroyed as well as many bridges and roads.
Vladimir Putin arrives in Bratsk
According to Interfax, President Putin stressed the need for emergency shelters and a swift plan of reconstruction and the restoration of infrastructure after the flood waters subside, before Siberia's long and harsh winter sets in. He also called on businesses not to engage in predatory practices like inflating prices of essential goods like food and medicine.
The president also ordered that children and their parents should be immediately evacuated to safer parts of Russia.
A state of emergency has been declared for the affected area, with officials warning that the worst may be yet to come as the rains continue.
This is the latest in a series of natural disasters to devastate the region in recent months, after a long drought led to severe wildfires that destroyed crops and buildings.
More of the major floods in Tulun, Irkutsk oblast, Russia on June 28th. At least 2 fatalities reported. June 28th. Report: Clima Extremo 24 pic.twitter.com/65WDSF0Miv
— severe-weather.EU (@severeweatherEU) June 29, 2019
The death toll from heavy floods in Russia's Siberian Irkutsk region has reached 14 people. Thirteen more people are missing, a spokesman for the local emergencies services told TASS on Monday.
"According to preliminary data, 14 people died, 13 more are rmissing. As many as 153 people, including one child, were hospitalized," he said.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko said earlier 12 people had died in the floods and nine were missing.
Floods in the Irkutsk region began in late June after torrential rains. A state of emergency was declared in the flood-affected areas. The water level in the river Iya has risen seven meters above the critical mark. As many as 83 settlements in six districts have been affected by the disaster. More than 6,600 residentail houses, which accommodate more than 32,000 people, have been flooded. On Sunday night, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a meeting in the city of Bratsk on the situation in the flooded areas.
Twenty-three people have died in the area hit by a powerful flood in the Russian region of Irkutsk, eight more people are being searched for, a spokesperson for the regional emergency agencies told TASS on Monday.
"Another dead body was found in the emergency zone. The overall number of those who died [in the flood] is twenty-three. Eight more people are missing," the spokesperson said.
Per earlier reports, 22 people died and 11 were missing. According to the data available on Monday morning, 233 residential buildings remain flooded in the Oktybrisky settlement in the Chunsky district and in the town of Tulun. In total, 10,900 residential building, where 34,234 people live, were flooded in 110 communities since the flood struck in late June.
Comment: View more dramatic film: 500 people evacuated from flood-stricken town in eastern Siberia - water 13 meters deep
Update: TASS reports on July 1: Update: TASS on July 8 reports: