ALMATY -- Hundreds of residents on the outskirts of the southeastern Kazakh city of Almaty have been evacuated after a mudslide hit the area.
The mudslide hit Almaty's Nauyryzbai district early on July 23 after several days of extremely hot weather prompted the abrupt melting of a big glacier located in the mountains near the city.
The waters overflowed a lake and into the Qarghaly River, causing floods that damaged dozens of houses.
No casualties were reported.
A dam blocking the river is now holding up to 30 thousand cubic meters of water and mud, raising fears that it could break.
Almaty city authorities declared an emergency situation and sent some 2,000 rescue workers, backed by three helicopters, to deal with the situation.
