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River flooding spreads to vast territories in Russian Far East

The flooding spread to 78 settlements on the banks of the Zeya river in the Amur region with the population of 29,997

Photo ITAR-TASS/Sergei Fadeichev

Photo ITAR-TASS/Sergei Fadeichev

VLADIVOSTOK , August 20 (Itar-Tass) - More than 6,300 homes have succumbed to flooding in the Russian Far East by August 19. More than 11,600 private orchards and 3,700 dacha premises are currently covered with water, Itar- Tass quoted the figures released by the press service of the Russian Ministry for Emergency Situations for the Amur region, Khabarovsk territory and the Jewish Autonomous Republic.

The flooding spread to 78 settlements on the banks of the Zeya river in the Amur region with the population of 29,997. A total of 8,121 private orchards are covered with water, 472 kilometers of roads are flooded, 56 road bridges are damaged.

A total of 16,128 of people, including 5,836 children, are evacuated from their homes in the flood -hit Amur region; and around 1, 442 people, including 637 children, are staying at temporary shelters.

In 25 settlements of the Jewish Autonomous Region, a total of 613 homes with the overall population of 3,182 are flooded. A total of 6,776 people, including 1,637 children, are evacuated from their homes. Some 890 people, including 414 children, hit by the flooding are staying at temporary shelters; the rest moved to the homes of their relatives and friends.

As a result of the water rise of the Amur river, 237 homes in 21 settlements with the population of 956 are flooded in the Khabarovsk region. A total of 409 people, including 43 children, are evacuated from the flooded zone in the Khabarovsk region.

Torrential rains began in the Far Eastern region in late July, causing the critical water rise in local rivers, including in the Zeya river which is a major tributary of the Amur river.

The flood situation has worsened by now; the floods spread to the Magadan region and the Maritime territory, where several dozen homes are flooded.

To eliminate the after effects of the flooding on all the flood-hit territories a rescue force group has been formed; it numbers 34,548 manpower, 6,167 units of clean-up machinery and 15 aircraft units.

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