Russia Mourns Krasnodar Flood Victims
World | July 9, 2012, Monday // 10:21| viewsA man walks in a flooded street in Krymsk, Krasnodar region, Russia, 07 July 2012. EPA/BGNES
Russia observes a day of mourning on Monday for the victims of the tragic floods that hit the Southern region of Krasnodar.
The death toll of the disaster has climbed to at least 171 people, officials said on Sunday. Many of the victims were elderly.
The town of Krymsk was worst hit, after heavy rains dumped as much as 30 centimeters of water on Friday night, the region's average rainfall for two months. The authorities admitted people were given little warning about the impending disaster.
"Not all of the population was warned in due time," Emergencies Minister Vladimir Puchkov told a government meeting on Monday, as cited by RIA Novosti. "Mistakes were made by local authorites and certain departments."
President Vladimir Putin has ordered an enquiry into whether people were given enough warning of the disaster, while a separate criminal investigation is under way into possible negligence.
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