UPDATE 1-Floods grip Russia’s Kurgan region as Tobol River rises

Russia warned people to evacuate parts of the Urals city of Kurgan as the mighty Tobol River swelled with meltwater and burst its banks, submerging swathes of Russia and Kazakhstan and forcing tens of thousands to abandon their homes. Russia's southern Ural region and northern Kazakhstan have been grappling with the worst flooding in living memory after very large snow falls melted swiftly amid heavy rain over land which was already waterlogged before winter.