MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Six people have died in floods and mudslides caused by heavy rains in the southern Russian region of Krasnodar and another three people have sustained injuries, a spokesperson for local emergency services told Sputnik.
“According to updated data, six people have been killed as a result of heavy rains and mudslides in the Krasnodar Region,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson noted that two of the injured had been hospitalized and one person was missing.
The press service for the Russian Emergencies Ministry told Sputnik that the deaths of six people had been confirmed.
Almost 1,500 people and 330 vehicles have been deployed to help deal with the disaster. Meanwhile, almost 40 trains have been delayed and thousands of people have been left without power.
“A total of 36 passenger trains carrying more than 9,000 passengers have been delayed,” a spokesperson for local emergency services told Sputnik.
The Russian Energy Ministry said that up to 11,100 people had been left without power in the Krasnodar Region because of the torrential rains and heavy winds.
On October 24, the Krasnodar Region’s Tuapsinsky District and Apsheronsky District along with the city of Sochi, which hosted the 2014 Winter Olympics, were hit by torrential rains and subsequent floods and mudslides. On Thursday, the rains led to the collapse of a bridge across the Makopse River in the south of the region, which was part of the road connecting Sochi with the seaside resort of Dzhubga, located some 106 miles west of Sochi along the Black Sea coast. As a result, traffic on the road has been completely blocked and there is no alternative route.
A state of emergency has been declared in the affected areas. According to local authorities, heavy rains are expected to continue for at least the next 24 hours.
Sourse: sputniknews.com
