Nearly 12,000 homes flooded in Russian region after dam collapse

Russian Emergency Situation Ministry rescuers ride a boat to help local residents during evacuations from a flooded area in Orenburg, Russia (AP)

Nearly 12,000 houses have been flooded in a Russian region bordering Kazakhstan as water levels in the Ural River keep rising and threatening more deluge, authorities said.

The floods sparked evacuations of thousands in the Orenburg region, located some 1,200 kilometres (745 miles) southeast of the capital of Moscow after a dam on the river burst last week under the pressure of surging waters.