7 July 2012 Last updated at 04:48 ET
At least 46 people have been killed after torrential rains leading to flash floods swept through parts of the south Russian Krasnodar region.
Reports said the floods came at night without warning, catching local residents by surprise.
Crude oil shipments from the Black Sea port of Novorossiisk have also been affected.
Officials say emergency teams have been sent from Moscow by plane and helicopter.
At least 35 people died in the town of Krymsk, at least 9 in Gelendzhik and two in Novorossiisk.
A statement by the Krasnodar regional administration said 13,000 people had been affected by the floods.
"The floods were very strong. Even traffic lights were ripped out," regional police spokesman Igor Zhelyabin told AFP news agency, adding that evacuations were under way.
Anna Kovalevskaya, who says she has relatives in Krymsk, tweeted that the floods came at night and people were unable to save their belongings from the water.
Her parents' house was flooded up to the first floor, she said, and she later lost phone contact with them.
At least 46 people have been killed after torrential rains leading to flash floods swept through parts of the south Russian Krasnodar region.
Reports said the floods came at night without warning, catching local residents by surprise.
Crude oil shipments from the Black Sea port of Novorossiisk have also been affected.
Officials say emergency teams have been sent from Moscow by plane and helicopter.
At least 35 people died in the town of Krymsk, at least 9 in Gelendzhik and two in Novorossiisk.
A statement by the Krasnodar regional administration said 13,000 people had been affected by the floods.
"The floods were very strong. Even traffic lights were ripped out," regional police spokesman Igor Zhelyabin told AFP news agency, adding that evacuations were under way.
Anna Kovalevskaya, who says she has relatives in Krymsk, tweeted that the floods came at night and people were unable to save their belongings from the water.
Her parents' house was flooded up to the first floor, she said, and she later lost phone contact with them.