More than 372,000 people were left without electricity in Russia’s southern region of Dagestan after heavy rain triggered severe flooding, officials said. 

Authorities in the regional capital, Makhachkala, declared a state of emergency on Saturday (28 March), while ambulance and fire services were placed on high alert.

The power cut has affected 372,183 people across 283 settlements, the regional Ministry of Emergencies said. 

"Emergency services have been placed on high alert, efforts are under way to deal with the aftermath, and assistance will be provided to affected residents," the Makhachkala City Administration said on Telegram.

Sergei Melikov, the regional Head of Emergency Services, said the weather conditions had “exceeded even the most pessimistic forecasts.”

Strong winds caused trees to fall in Makhchkala, with clean-up efforts underway, the city’s local government said.

Officials in Dagestan's second-largest city, Khasavyurt, said a railway bridge had been damaged due to heavy rainfall.

"Two spans of the bridge collapsed on the Khasavyurt–Kadiyurt section of the North Caucasus Railway," Dagestan's government press service said.

• Floods kill 18 in Karachi as heavy rains hit Pakistan’s southern region
• At least 64 killed in Ethiopia floods and landslides
• Drought, floods and forced returns leave 11 million Afghans uprooted

The Makhachkala City Administration said it was distributing water to residents in the city, in a post on Telegram on Sunday.

First Deputy Mayor, Gadzhimurad Murtuzaliev, said residents who had been displaced from their homes due to the floods would be “fully provided with everything they need to create comfortable living conditions.”

Heavy rain in the region was forecast to continue through Sunday.

Copied