Water levels rise in flooded Russian city of Orenburg

Heavy floods continue to pile misery on the Russian city of Orenburg on the banks of the Ural River, with local officials announcing that the water levels rose 81 centimetres in a day.

Vast swathes of southern Russia and northern Kazakhstan have been battling overflowing rivers caused by fast-melting snow and ice, with both Moscow and Astana saying the floods are the worst in decades.