Yahoo TV

STORY: The deluge of meltwater has forced over 110,000 people from their homes in Russia's Ural Mountains, Siberia and Kazakhstan as major rivers such as the Ural, which flows through Kazakhstan into the Caspian, overwhelmed embankments.

Residents in the city of Orenburg said the waters of the Ural rose very swiftly and to far beyond breaking point, forcing them to flee with just their children, pets and a few belongings.

"All the furniture, some household appliances and finishing materials (are ruined). A colossal amount of money," local resident Vyacheslav told Reuters. "I did not expect the water to rise so fast."

Whole areas of the city were underwater, and the Ural rose another 80 cm (31 inches) to 10.6 meters (34.7 ft), 130 cm (51 inches) above the level considered by local authorities as safe. Officials warned the river would rise further.