#extensive flooding

Entire swathes of Kazakhstan look like a scene from a disaster movie. Vast amounts of floodwater have destroyed villages and carried away livestock. Social media is filled with images of people clambering for safety onto the roofs of their homes as rescue helicopters circle above. When spring arrives, Kazakhstan knows to expect runoff water from melting ice and snow, but this year has been a shock. Bridges have been destroyed, entire sections of highway are now underwater, hundreds of homes have been rendered uninhabitable, and many have been left without tap water and household gas. At least three people are believed to have lost their lives. The floods that began earlier this month have affected at least seven regions, with the north hardest-hit. The Emergency Situations Ministry said that as of March 29, around 4,700 people, including almost 1,700 children, have been rescued and evacuated. More than 500 residential buildings are flooded. In some regions, entire government buildings, schools and hospitals are flooded. Speaking at an emergency government meeting on March 29, Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov described these as the largest floods in recent years.