Additional infornation added (first vesion posted at 18:16)
The death toll from massive flooding in the Krasnodar Region in Russia's south caused by heavy rains has risen to 99, a representative of the operational headquarters of the Interior Ministry said RIA Novosti agency.
That number includes at least 88 people who are thought to have drowned in flooding after heavy rainfall in Krasnodar, a Black Sea holiday resort some 1,200 kilometres south of Moscow. The casualties included several elderly and at least one child, officials said.
Another 5 people were electrocuted after lightning hit a power transformer, DPA reported.
Nearly 24 hours of continuous heavy rains flooded about 1,000 homes and left 22,000 people without electricity, while railways and roads were washed away or made impassable by mud.
A state of emergency was declared in several cities in the region, and operations were severely hampered at the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk.
The floodwater had caught many people by surprise during the night, an emergency services spokesman said.
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has ordered the country's Emergency Situations Minister, Vladimir Puchkov, to take personal charge of rescue operations, and a transport aircraft and two helicopters have been sent to the region.
State television showed images of terrified residents seeking refuge in the higher floors of buildings or being rescued by raft from their flooded homes.
The police stepped up their presence to prevent looting, while many cars were swept away by the flash floods.
Early reports suggested that a month's worth of rain fell in just 24 hours.