Fifteen populated areas flooded in Altai territory - ministry
BARNAUL. April 20 (Interfax) - Fifteen populated areas have been flooded in a first spring freshet in the Altai territory, the Siberian regional center of the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry said on Monday.
It said floods had been reported from eight municipalities in the Shipunovsky, Rubtsovsky, Topochikhinsky, Bayevsky and Krasnogorsky districts and the cities of Aleisk, Barnaul and Rubtsovsk.
"Seventy-nine residential buildings and 1,030 subsidiary plots have been inundated. Flood waters are being drained and dams are being constructed in the affected municipalities," the report said.
Sixteen shelters with an overall capacity of 3,735 have been opened in the territory, and 260 men and 96 machines have been assigned to clean up the damage.
The eight municipalities of the Altai territory have declared an emergency situation regime over the floods. The rest of the territory is on alert.
Snow melting has intensified in the past few days because of high air temperatures. Rains added to the rise of water levels.