Floods strike southern Russia

Torrential rains dropped nearly a foot of water on a Black Sea region in southern Russia overnight (July 6-7), setting off intense flooding that killed dozens of people and forced some in the largely rural area to take refuge in trees and on roofs.

Muddy water coursed through streets and homes in the Krasnodar region, in some cases high enough to flow over the hoods of cars. In some areas, people waded through waist high water or manoeuvred the streets in boats. The governor of Krasnodar told the Interfax news agency about 5,000 residences were flooded.

The region near the Black Sea is a popular summer vacation spot, and includes many children’s camps. Russian officials said some 7,100 children were at holiday camps in the area, and that more than 450 children had to be evacuated.

The area also includes Novorossiisk, a major Black Sea port. The Transneft oil company said Saturday it had suspended loading oil onto tankers at the port because of the severe weather.

More than 1,500 Emergency Ministry officials were working to aid flood victims and clear up the damage.