More homes flooded in Russian region bordering Kazakhstan, other areas

MOSCOW (AP) — Local authorities say nearly 14,500 homes have been flooded in a Russian region bordering Kazakhstan after water levels spiked in a local river. The floods have sparked evacuations of thousands in the Orenburg region, located some 745 miles southeast of the capital, Moscow, after a dam on the Ural River burst last week under the pressure of surging waters. Local authorities have classified the deluge as an emergency of federal importance, and more than 16,500 people have been evacuated from the flooded areas, the office of the Orenburg governor said Tuesday.