Criminal probe launched over levee collapse in Russia

The Investigative Committee in Orenburg Region, Central Russia, has launched a criminal probe after a levee broke, causing flooding in the city of Orsk on Friday. Officials believe the disaster, which has left at least two people dead, was the result of negligent maintenance of the embankment.

In a post on its Telegram channel on Saturday, the Investigative Committee’s office in Orenburg Region wrote that officials are looking into a suspected breach of safety regulations during construction as well as criminal negligence.

Authorities say they are examining the conduct of individuals responsible for the building, upkeep, and use of the collapsed levee.

TASS quoted the local prosecutor’s office as saying that the levee became operational in 2010, with technical watchdogs having reported maintenance violations several times since.

“Due to belated measures aimed at keeping the hydrotechnical facility in proper technical condition, the levee collapsed on April 5, 2024,” officials concluded.

RIA Novosti, citing the Orsk mayor’s office, reported that two elderly men had been found deceased in their houses by rescuers. According to the article, neither one had drowned.

Meanwhile, TASS quoted local emergency services as saying that three people had been confirmed dead in the disaster zone.

More than 2,500 houses have been flooded and over 4,000 local residents evacuated as a result of the levee collapse, Orsk authorities have reported.

A state of emergency was subsequently declared across the entire region on Friday, with emergency services working to reinforce the damaged portions of the embankment.

While the Ural River typically floods every spring, heavy rains and a recent sharp rise in temperatures have resulted in the water rising a whole meter higher than normal.

The levee, which normally diverts the river away from Orsk, gave way on Friday, with two leaks detected in it hours before the collapse.