At least 172 people are killed in a flash flood in the Krasnodar Krai region of Russia.
The 2012 Krasnodar Krai floods were floods in southwest Russia in early July 2012, mainly in Krasnodar Krai near the coast of the Black Sea. The equivalent of five months of rain fell overnight in some southern parts of the country according to the Hydrometeorological Centre of Russia. One hundred seventy-one people died during the floods. According to the governor of Krasnodar Krai, Aleksandr Tkachyov, "there was nothing of the kind for the last 70 years". The flood was part of the aftermath of an intense storm that hit Krasnodar, dropping almost half a year's worth of rainfall on the region over two days. Close to 30,000 people were affected by the floods.Most of the victims lived in the city of Krymsk, 80 km (50 mi) from Krasnodar and 15 km (9 mi) from Novorossiysk, at the foot of a minor mountain range running along the coast of the Black Sea. Eyewitnesses reported that the flood hit the city around 2 a.m. local time on 7 July 2012 when most residents were asleep. The flood wave reached the height of 7 m (23 ft), submerging many houses to the ceiling and drowning those who could not escape in time. There were also deaths on the coast of the Black Sea in Gelendzhik, a resort, and in Novorossiysk, a port.