Apocalypse In Russia sinks thousands of homes Russia hits heavy flood

Apocalypse In Russia sinks thousands of homes - Russia hits heavy floodShow more

Massive Floods Hit Russia's Far East.

Several villages in the Sakha Republic in Russia's Far East are facing severe flooding following torrential rains, local authorities said, triggering a state of emergency in the country's coldest and largest region.

The Sakha government says the rains have damaged buildings around the dam and left remote Siberian villages "almost completely" flooded.

Due to heavy rains on July 11, despite the installation of protective structures, a dam burst and flooded the village of Betenkes almost completely," the local government wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

This small village is located on the banks of the Adycha River in northeastern Siberia.

Villages on the banks of the rivers Adycha, Dulgalakhr and Borulakh have been badly affected by the latest flooding, with dozens of residents evacuated, the Sakha weather service said on Telegram.

The remote villages of Suordakh and Tomtor, which have a combined population of about 600 people, also flooded, damaging 100 buildings and homes.

"As of 7 a.m. this morning, the water level reached a critical 1,000 centimeters (33 feet)," the local government said.

It said 36 houses and more than 100 plots of land had been flooded.

A dozen people are in temporary accommodation, while 72 are staying with relatives, he added.

Local authorities published photos of rescuers on small boats carrying horses through the flooded village, surrounded by wooden houses in deep water.

Nearly eight tonnes of humanitarian aid, including food and drinking water, have been flown to the affected areas, he said.

"The main priority is minimizing damage to settlements and preventing threats to people's lives and health," Aisen Nikolaev, head of the Sakha district, told an emergency meeting Tuesday.

Sakha, also known as Yakutia, has been devastated in recent years by increasingly severe summer bushfires that Russian experts and officials attribute to climate change. These fires, along with extreme heat waves, are expected to become more frequent and more severe as the planet continues to warm.

Russian President Vladimir Putin made comments earlier in his administration that suggested skepticism about climate change but in recent years ordered his government to protect Russia from the effects of climate change.