Rapid Ice Melt Triggers Floods, Evacuations in Siberia’s Krasnoyarsk Region

Rescuers evacuated residents in Siberia’s Krasnoyarsk region after unseasonably warm weather caused river ice to rapidly melt, raising water levels and breaching a dam, emergency authorities said Wednesday.

“A temporary [dam] was washed away after the Minusa River overflowed due to sudden warming and rapid snowmelt,” Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry said on Telegram.

Authorities warned that 120 homes in the town of Minusinsk, located 310 kilometers (193 miles) north of the Mongolian border, were at risk of flooding.

As of Wednesday evening local time, emergency crews had evacuated 21 people, including six children, after floodwaters reached 13 households in Minusinsk.

Footage released by the ministry showed emergency crews filling sandbags and escorting residents from their homes during the night.

Temperatures in Minusinsk are forecast to reach 16 degrees Celsius (61 degrees Fahrenheit) on Thursday.

Like much of the world, Russia has faced increasing extreme weather events in recent years, including severe floods and wildfires. Scientists warn that human-driven climate change is intensifying the frequency and severity of such disasters.

On Tuesday, rescuers evacuated dozens of residents in the Chelyabinsk region, 2,200 kilometers (1,370 miles) west of Krasnoyarsk, after similarly warm weather caused ice breakups and river flooding.

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