INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
now stands at 11.43 [meters]
authoritieswarned of power outages in the most affected areas until the water recedes.Almost 12,000 homes and 15,000 land plots were flooded
Kudinov said more than 2,500 homes and nearly 5,000 land plots were flooded in the city of Orenburg as of early Friday.Several villages have
also been evacuated in the Kurgan and Tomsk regions further to the east.Meanwhile, in Western Siberia, the Ishim River has alsorisen to
dangerous levels, according to authorities in the Tyumen region
Officials predict that the Ishim and Tobol rivers will reach peak levels only around April 23-25.Overall, Russia estimates that 10,500 homes
have been flooded across 37 regions.Fast-rising temperatures have melted snow and ice, and along with heavy rains have caused a number of
major rivers that stretch across Russia and northern Kazakhstan to overflow
Around 120,000 people in both countries have been forced to evacuate their homes.No direct link has been made between the floods and climate
change, but experts say rising temperatures across the planet cause rapid snowmelt and heavy rains that lead to unprecedented flooding.AFP
