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50,000 Hit by Flooding in Russia's Siberia

More than 50,000 people have been affected by flooding in three Siberian regions, the Emergency Situations Ministry said Friday.

A total of 2,870 buildings in 23 localities were affected across the Altai region and the republics of Altai and Khakassia, the ministry said on its website.

The ministry said the waters were receding, with 10 fewer localities affected than on Thursday.

However, water levels remained the highest on record in many areas of the Altai region, the worst affected area, Interfax reported.

Road traffic in some districts of the regional capital Barnaul had to be replaced with motor boats due to the flooding, the report said.

The son of a local official died last week trying to save a six-year-old girl when a dam burst in the Charyshsky district of the Altai region, local news website Altapress.ru reported earlier. The child also drowned.

Yakov Ishutin, deputy governor of the Altai region, spoke of looting in flooded areas, though he did not elaborate.

A total of 17,000 people and 4,600 units of machinery have been deployed to deal with the flooding, the ministry said.

Damages are tentatively estimated at 500 million rubles ($14.5 million).

See also:

Photo Gallery: Heavy Floods Hit Russia's Siberia

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