Moscow, April 17 (Reporter) More than 13,500 people have been evacuated as of Wednesday from towns and villages in Russia's Kurgan region that were in imminent danger of being inundated by floodwaters, the regional government said. "As of 08:00 a.m. local time [3:00 GMT], April 17, 13,567 people have been evacuated from settlements that have already been flooded and those in the flood risk zone," the authorities said on Telegram. The water level in the Tobol River that flows through the city of Kurgan has exceeded the "dangerous level" mark of 850 centimetres (27.9 feet) and is expected to keep increasing until Thursday, the Ural region weather service warned. The Russian Emergencies Ministry estimated that 669 residential and 2,376 summer houses, five low-water bridges, and nine road sections were inundated in the Kurgan Region as of Wednesday. It is also predicted that over 18,700 people in 62 towns and villages may get flooded. Russian regions located in the Ural Mountains and Siberia have been grappling for weeks with strong floods sparked by rapid snowmelt and rising water levels in rivers. The regions of Kurgan, Orenburg, and Tyumen have declared a state of emergency. The situation in the city of Orsk in the Orenburg Region worsened after a dam burst early April, prompting a mass evacuation of local residents...////...