MOSCOW, April 7 — The mayor of the Russian city of Orenburg said today that the situation around flooding in the city remained "critical”, and that water levels would continue to rise in the coming days.

The Ural mountain region of Orenburg, along with other nearby Russian provinces and parts of neighbouring Kazakhstan, have been hit hard by flooding along the Ural river in recent days, forcing at least 2,000 people to evacuate their homes. — Reuters