Death and mass destruction: Over a hundred killed in fatal southern Russia flooding

Death and mass destruction: Over a hundred killed in fatal southern Russia flooding (VIDEO, PHOTOS) — RT

Massive flooding in the Krasnodar region in Russia’s south has left 104 dead and hundreds more have been displaced, while the death toll continues to rise. There has not been anything like it for the past 70 years, authorities say. Five people were electrocuted as an electricity transformer fell into water while many more drowned. Russia’s Emergency Ministry has only confirmed 66 deaths, while Russia's Investigative Committee estimates the total death toll at 104. In the Krymsky district alone, at least 92 bodies have been found, federal investigators report. Three more have been killed in Novorossiysk and nine in the Gelendzhik district. A 10-year-old child was among the casualties.

Over 12,000 people have become victims of the disaster, the Ministry of Emergencies says. A state of emergency has been declared in the cities of Krymsk, Novorossiysk, and Gelendzhik. The affected area is large and the damage widespread. Part of the Northern-Caucasus railroad has also been washed out. Entire city streets have been completely submerged after torrential rain storms Friday, with the Krymsky district taking the worst of the floods, according to Governor of the Krasnodar region Aleksandr Tkachyov: “Gelendzhik is in better condition, there’s almost no water left there.” The speed of the flood was also shocking, carrying away not only homes, but 16-ton trucks as well. One driver said his truck was literally carried tens of meters by the waters. In a separate incident, a nine-year-old girl was ripped from her mother and sister’s arms by the force of the current.