Thousands of Russians were forced to evacuate their homes after an embankment dam ruptured in Orsk, a city in the southern Orenburg region near Kazakhstan.

The Ural River overflowed the dam, claiming at least three lives and prompting the evacuation of over 4,000 people, including over a thousand children.

Nearly 2,400 residential buildings were flooded as water reached several districts of the city.

The breach, attributed to poor maintenance of the hydraulic structure, led to a criminal investigation, CNN reported.

A state of emergency was declared, with officials urging residents to evacuate immediately to avoid potential danger.

Orsk, with a population of 230,000, sits close to the Russian-Kazakh border, and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev termed the event one of the country’s most significant natural disasters in decades.

Written by B.C. Begley