Krasnodar Krai - 2012 Floods

2012 Floods

On 7 July 2012, at least 171 people died in Krasnodar Krai, after torrential rains overnight caused the worst flooding and landslides in over 70 years. The average rainfall for 4–5 months, over 280 millimetres (11 in), was reported to have fallen within 48 hours. A local police spokesman stated that most of the dead were in Krymsky District, where at least 159 died when a wave of water 5 metres (16 ft) high swept through the town of Krymsk in the middle of the night. Ten more deaths occurred in Gelendzhik, including five electrocuted when a transformer fell into the floodwater, and two in Novorossiysk. Authorities stated that 17 people had been officially reported missing, and there were fears the death toll would rise further, while medics had hospitalised 210 people, including 16 children.

The regional government claimed that over 24,000 people were affected by the floods, with more than 3,000 evacuated, and that more than 10,000 rescuers and 140 helicopters were searching for victims and evacuating survivors. In Krymsk, 14 temporary shelters were set up to house around 2,000 evacuees. The transport system in the region was said to have collapsed, while oil shipments from Novorossiysk were halted when the port, located in the lower part of the city, was threatened by landslides. Russia's President, Vladimir Putin, flew to the area to hold emergency talks with officials in Krymsk, while authorities in Perm dispatched a rescue team to evacuate dozens of children from the region, who had been staying at summer camps on the Black Sea coast.

Residents of Krymsk claimed the wave of water that hit the town resulted from the sluice gates of a nearby reservoir being opened, although this was denied by the prosecutor general's investigative committee. Local prosecutors had earlier confirmed that the gates were opened, but stated that it was too early to determine whether this was the cause of the flooding.