MOSCOW, June 01, /ITAR-TASS/. More than 10,000 people were evacuated over a devastating flood in Siberia, the national emergency response centre of the Ministry of Emergency Situations (EMERCOM) told Itar-Tass on Sunday.

“Forty temporary dwelling centres were deployed. More than 10,000 people were evacuated from flooded residential houses, more than 1.5 thousand people, including 530 children are staying at temporary dwelling camps,” the EMERCOM national centre said. People are provided with all first necessities.

According to preliminary reports, more than four thousand residential houses where more than 11.5 thousand people, including three thousand children live in 50 settlements remain flooded in 17 municipal entities in the Republic of Altai and Altai Territory, Khakassia and Tuva in South Siberia as of Sunday morning.

“Twelve sections of motorways are flooded, six bridges are damaged,” the EMERCOM centre noted.

Most flooded houses are situated in Altai Territory, the Republic of Altai mostly hit in the flood.

“Flood-fighting group has been reinforced more than eightfold. More than 17.3 thousand people, including more than nine thousand people from EMERCOM, including local fire security garrisons are cleaning up aftermath of the natural disaster. More than 4.6 thousand units of machinery, including ten emergency aircrafts are already used,” the EMERCOM national centre said.

Meanwhile, the water level has gone up 69 centimeters in the flooded part of the city of Biysk in Altai Territory reaching six meters and 84 centimeters, chief of the city emergency situation department Anatoly Myakshin told Itar-Tass.

“The flood situation is hardest in the settlement of Sorokino and we are seeking to keep the dam from breaking. The flood is already flowing along the central street, 300 more residential houses may be flooded, if we fail to prevent the dam from falling. Twenty firemen from the city of Biysk are reinforcing the dam,” Myakshin said.

The flood area in the city of Biysk has enlarged with 915 residential houses already involved in it.

Rescuers have evacuated more than 2.5 thousand people, including 868 children over the past night. A total of 3.527 people happened to be in the flood area.