Rising waters force mass evacuations in Russia's Ishim city

At 10 PM Eastern Time, residents of Ishim in the Tyumen region of Russia were alerted via text messages about an urgent need for evacuation. Local authorities issued this directive due to a critical rise in the water levels of the Ishim River. The city, home to more than 67,000 people, faced an immediate threat.

"Residents of Ishim in the Tyumen region have been urged to evacuate promptly because of the critical rise in the river's water level; notifications were sent out early this morning," local authorities stated.

"At 10 PM, residents received text messages instructing them to evacuate from areas likely to be affected by the flood," according to the authorities' announcement.

The Mash channel released footage from the village of Sokolovka, located approximately 248 miles from Ishim. Because the village is close to the Ishim river, an urgent evacuation was ordered there as well.

"The Ministry of Emergency Situations has issued an urgent evacuation order due to the significant rise in the Ishim River's water level. Residents are advised to only take essential documents and valuables," the statement reads.

Previously, in Tomsk, Russia, a dam breach caused by separating the river from a lake led to severe flooding. Approximately 800 homes were inundated.

To combat the rising water levels, authorities have detonated ice jams on the river. The Ministry of Emergency Situations reported that the total number of homes affected by the floods in all the impacted regions neared 16,000.

The flood has impacted 33 regions across four oblasts: Orenburg, Tomsk, Tyumen, and Kurgan.