MOSCOW, April 6. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has dispatched Emergency Situations Minister Alexander Kurenkov to the Russian flood-stricken region to oversee disaster relief efforts, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

"President Putin was briefed by Governor Denis Pasler, who is at the site of the flooding. Minister Kurenkov also reported on the situation in the flooded area and the measures that are being taken," the spokesman told TASS. "Putin ordered Kurenkov to immediately fly to the natural disaster area to organize all the necessary work to help people and conduct disaster relief efforts."

The flooding started after a dam near Orsk, a city near the Russian border with Kazakhstan, burst overnight into Saturday. Rising water from the Ural River flooded 4,400 homes, according to the latest data. The bodies of two people were found in the flooded area, but they weren’t killed by the emergency, officials said. The authorities declared a regional-level emergency situation and are urging residents to evacuate.