DUSHANBE, July 10, 2012, Asia-Plus  -- on Monday July 9, President Emomali Rahmon sent a telegram of condolences to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin over the deadly floods that hit the southern Krasnodar region last Friday.

According to Russian media outlets, the floods killed at least 171 people in the southern Krasnodar region.  A day of mourning was held for the victims.  Record torrential rain has been blamed for the floods.  The town of Krymsk was devastated and the district boss has been sacked.  Emergencies Minister Vladimir Puchkov said there had been warnings but “not all the population was warned in time.”  “Mistakes were made by local leaders and various services,” he said.

The rains reportedly dumped as much as 28 centimeters of water over Friday night, forcing many residents to take refuge in trees or on house roofs.  The Russian weather forecasting center said the rainfall was five times the monthly average.

The Krasnodar authorities said more than 24,000 people had been affected by the floods and more than 5,000 houses had been inundated.