More than 20,000 people have been evacuated from flood-stricken areas in Russia's far east, where the Amur river has burst its banks after heavy rain.

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The army and emergency workers have set up 166 temporary shelters across three regions, providing drinking water, hot food and medical supplies, RIA Novosti news agency reports.

The Amur and Khabarovsk regions, near the Chinese border, are worst affected.

Both the Amur river and a major tributary, the Zeya, have flooded huge areas in what is said to be the region's worst flooding for 120 years.

The damage so far has been estimated at about 3bn roubles (£58m; $91m).

(Source: BBC)