Russia has decided to have a day of mourning for the victims of the flash floods in southern Krasnodar region.
At least 171 people were killed in the disaster, officials said on Sunday.
President Vladimir Putin has ordered an enquiry into whether people were given enough warning of the disaster. A separate criminal investigation is under way into possible negligence.
Officials deny allegations blaming the ferocity of the floods on the opening of reservoir sluice gates.
The day of mourning and enquiry were called by Vladimir Putin after he toured the affected area in a helicopter on Saturday.
Russia has decided to have a day of mourning for the victims of the flash floods in southern Krasnodar region
It was the first major disaster in Russia since Vladimir Putin, 59, returned for a third-term earlier this year, after a four-year term as prime minister.
The flash floods, the worst in living memory in the region, struck in the Krasnodar region on Friday night, after days of torrential rain. People were reportedly given little or no warning.
The rains dumped as much as 28 cm (11 inches) of water overnight, forcing many residents to take refuge in trees or on house roofs.
TV pictures later showed thousands of houses almost completely submerged with people scrambling onto their rooftops to escape the rising waters.
Most of those who died were in and around Krymsk, a town of 57,000 people. But deaths were also reported in the Black Sea resort of Gelendzhik and in the port town of Novorossiysk.
Krasnodar governor Alexander Tkachev said on Sunday that more than 24,000 people had been affected by the floods, according to Russian media reports. The regional authorities say more than 5,000 houses were inundated.
“It’s an unprecedented tragedy. There has been nothing like it in our history,” Alexander Tkachev said.
Local activists blamed the ferocity of the flood on the opening of sluice gates at the local reservoir.
The authorities admitted that an “automatic discharge” of water had taken place.
However, investigator Ivan Sengerov said on Sunday it was not thought that this was the main cause of the disaster in Krymsk, the Interfax news agency reports.
“The discharges were carried out in a normal, planned manner,” he told the agency.
“There was no overflow over the dam, so the discharges could not have caused the disaster.”
More than 7,000 Russian children were attending summer camps in the area and one of the camps was evacuated, Russian media reported.
Oil pipeline operator Transneft said it had halted crude shipments out of Novorossiysk – a major port on the Black Sea.
But the company added that that its infrastructure had been unaffected by the weather.
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According to Russian officials, at least 99 people have been killed after flash floods caused by torrential rain swept the southern Krasnodar region.
The floods, the worst there in living memory struck at night, reportedly without warning.
Emergency teams have been sent from Moscow by plane and helicopter. TV pictures showed people scrambling onto their rooftops to escape.
At least 88 people died around the worst-hit town of Krymsk.
Crude oil shipments from the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk have suspended.
Russian TV showed thousands of houses in the region nearly completely submerged.
Some users of social media networks in Russia said Krymsk looked liked it was hit “by a tsunami”. Others accused the authorities of not telling the whole truth about the disaster.
At least 99 people have been killed after flash floods caused by torrential rain swept the southern Krasnodar region
At least nine died in Gelendzhik and two in Novorossiysk. Dozens of people are reportedly missing, and there are fears that the death toll will rise further.
The Krasnodar-Novorossiysk motorway was cut, and the transport system in the region is said to have collapsed.
A statement by the Krasnodar regional administration said altogether 13,000 people had been affected by the floods.
Emergencies Minister Vladimir Puchkov is on his way to the region.
Up to 1,000 rescuers are involved in searching for victims and evacuating survivors.
“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.
Regional governor Alexander Tkachev tweeted after flying over the affected area that there was “something unimaginable” going on in Krymsk.
He said, quoted by the Russian Itar-Tass news agency, that “no-one can remember such floods in our history. There was nothing of the kind for the last 70 years”.
Anna Kovalevskaya, who says she has relatives in Krymsk, said her family was caught unaware by the floods.
“The water started flooding in at 2:00 a.m.,” she said.
“People were running out into the streets in their underwear and wrapping their children in blankets. People were only able to save their passports.
“There is no electricity and the shops are shut. Many people have lost everything and are in a state of panic.”
The rains dumped as much as 28 cm (11 inches) of water on parts of the Krasnodar region overnight, forcing many residents to take refuge in trees or on house roofs.
Oil pipeline operator Transneft said it had halted crude shipments out of Novorossiysk, but that its infrastructure in the port had been unaffected by the weather.
“Of course, we limited shipments, the port is located in the lower part of town, the whole landslide has moved towards it. As we speak, the rain has started again,” spokesman Vladimir Sidorov told Reuters news agency.
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