MOSCOW

Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry said on Tuesday that spring flooding has affected 39 regions, forcing thousands of people to leave their houses.

The worst situation has been developing in the southern Orenburg region where the rising water in the Ural River led to the flooding of significant areas, in eight settlements the situation is estimated by the regional authorities as "critical."

Authorities declared on Sunday a state of federal emergency in Orenburg as the natural disaster unfolded.

Emergency Situations Minister Aleksander Kurenkov arrived in the city of Orsk, which is currently inundated due to a nearby dam breach, to personally supervise the rescue operations.

The regions of Chelyabinsk, Kurgan, and Novosibirsk are also experiencing heavy flooding with a forecast for further deterioration.