Floodwaters continue to threaten homes and residential areas in southern Russia and northern Kazakhstan on April 21 as water levels reach record highs in southern Russia and northern Kazakhstan, where sudden high temperatures have sparked massive snowmelt and the worst flooding in decades.
Authorities in Russia's Kurgan region ordered urgent evacuations in more than 20 settlements on April 20 as the waters were "rising quickly," the Kurgan regional government's press service said.
In northeastern Kazakhstan, a resident of the village of Vishenka told RFE/RL's Kazakh Service on April 21 that water from the bloated Chagan River, a tributary of the Ural River, was flooding cottages there.
Kazakh regional authorities have prohibited journalists from visiting flooded areas or broadcasting images or information from the scene. They cited emergency operations to ban the use of drones.
No End In Sight As Flooding Continues Unabated In Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Russia
The level of the Ishim River near the city of Ishim in Russia's Tyumen region rose by more than 2 meters on April 19-20 to swell more than half a meter above the danger mark of 8.5 meters, the city administration there reported.
The governor of Russia's Tyumen region, Aleksandr Moor, has called the current floods the worst in over 80 years, with dozens of cities in the flood zone.
A state of emergency has been in effect since April 8, with urgent evacuations of the Kazan and Ishim regions last week.
In Kazakhstan, the Ural River, known locally as the Oral, was creeping toward the 8.5-meter level that is considered critical.
Kazakh authorities predicted that the peak of the flooding would arrive in most regions on April 20-21 but would persist until April 22–24 in the Oral region.
Officials have said that more than 100,000 people have been forced from their homes across the country because of heavy flooding.