Russians bomb ice in floods crisis

MOSCOW, Russia -- Ice floes blocking the Russian river Lena have been bombed to release a build-up of water.

Bombs were dropped from planes and helicopters in two raids during the night, but the river continued to flood.

"Despite all the attempts to unblock the ice blockage in Lensk -- they used more than 80 tonnes of explosives -- so far they have not managed to break up (the ice)," Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov said on state-run RTR television.

The water level continued to rise by 3 centimetres (1.2 inches) per hour, NTV television reported, washing away more than 400 traditional-style wooden homes in the area and damaging 1,700 others.

Overnight, Emergency Ministry officials evacuated a further 1,700 people from Lensk, bringing the total to around 20,000, or around 80 percent of the town's population, ministry spokesman Viktor Biltsov told Reuters by telephone.

"The situation remains difficult," he said.

"So far we have not been able to destroy the ice floe that formed around 75 km (around 50 miles) from Lensk."

The water level had risen seven metres (23 feet) in the past 24 hours and was now 13.5 metres above the critical level, he said.

NTV reported that residents of Yakutsk, capital of the vast and sparsely populated region of Yakutia, were also braced for flooding.

A state of emergency has been declared in Yakutia.

Supplies of baby food, tents, electric heaters and pumps were flown to Yakutia, Interfax said.

Kasyanov ordered government ministries to work together to tackle the worst floods in 100 years.

The annual flooding has affected thousands of homes across provincial Russia.

Many people have refused to leave their homes for fear of looting, and have remained camped out on upper floors or on roofs.

Warm spring weather is being blamed for record water levels as rapidly melting snow has caused major rivers to overflow.

At least one person has died in the flooding.