MOSCOW, June 11. /ITAR-TASS/. Russia’s Emergencies Ministry has started urgent recovery work in southern Siberia’s regions affected by flooding, ministry spokesperson Alexander Drobyshevsky said on Wednesday.

“More than 100 emergency response teams have been formed based on Emergencies Ministry units. These teams are provided with the necessary machinery and equipment to carry out recovery work,” Drobyshevsky said, adding that the ministry constantly monitored all settlements affected by floods and rendered assistance to citizens.

“Groups comprising ten to twelve rescue workers, including not only rescuers but also medical workers and psychologists help people to cope with consequences of the flooding. Special attention is given to elderly people, veterans and large families.”

Drobyshevsky recalled that on orders from Emergencies Minister Vladimir Puchkov, over 600 rescuers in additional reinforcements would be sent to the Altai region by Thursday, June 12, to clean up the consequences of floods.

A group of 315 rescuers from the Volga River, Urals and Amur regions arrived in the regional centre Barnaul on Tuesday night, and have already started working. Another 500 Russian Emergencies Ministry’s rescuers from other Russian regions are ready to join the flood effort.

As of Wednesday morning, 18 settlements in ten municipalities remain partially flooded in the Altai region. More than 1,500 residential buildings, home to more than 5,400 people, including about 1,000 children, are affected there. A total of 2,139 private land plots are partially submerged in seven districts and in the cities of Barnaul, Novoaltaisk and Biisk. About 5,400 people stay at their relatives or temporary accommodation centers. Fifty repair teams work in the affected regions, pumping out water, restoring bridges and power transmission lines, and cleaning farmsteads.