KRYMSK, Russia (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin (POO'-tihn) has had to overcome a lot of distrust of government, as he tries to convince residents of southern Russia that the floods that killed 171 people were the result of an act of nature -- and not government negligence, or worse.
The floods followed storms that dumped five months of rain in a matter of hours.
Still, some persist in believing that the city of Krymsk and its 57,000 people were intentionally sacrificed to prevent the flood waters from damaging a nearby city (Novorossiysk) that is a major Black Sea port, and an essential location for exporting Russian oil and grain.
At the very least, the flooding has Russians once again questioning the government's ability to keep them safe.
The country's Emergencies Ministry acknowledged today that it had failed to warn residents about the flash flood, which filled one-story homes practically up to the ceiling in the middle of the night.
A total of 29,000 people lost all of their possessions.
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APPHOTO MOSB122: In this photo taken on Sunday, July 8, 2012, a morgue worker prepares a coffin for a victim who died after floods in Krymsk, about 1,200 kilometers (750 miles) south of Moscow, Russia. Monday has been declared a national day of mourning in Russia. Families of the flood victims were beginning to bury the dead in the hard-hit town of Krymsk, where torrential rain and flooding turned streets into swirling muddy rivers, inundated thousands of homes and forced people to flee from their beds in the middle of the night. Nearly 19,000 people have lost all their belongings. (AP Photo/Artur Lebedev) (9 Jul 2012)
<<APPHOTO MOSB122 (07/09/12)>>
APPHOTO XSP105: Children view a car partially buried in mud on the bank of the river after flooding in the town of Nizhnebakansky, about 1,200 kilometers (750 miles) south of Moscow, Monday, July 9, 2012. Intense flooding in the Black Sea region of southern Russia killed nearly 150 people after torrential rains dropped nearly a foot of water, forcing many to scramble out of their beds for refuge in trees and on roofs, officials said Saturday. (AP Photo/Sergey Ponomarev) (9 Jul 2012)
<<APPHOTO XSP105 (07/09/12)>>
APPHOTO XSP107: Soldiers lower the coffin of Vladimir Markozov, who died after floods in Krymsk, about 1,200 kilometers (750 miles) south of Moscow, Monday, July 9, 2012. Intense flooding in the Black Sea region of southern Russia killed nearly 170 people after torrential rains dropped nearly a foot of water, forcing many to scramble out of their beds for refuge in trees and on roofs, officials said Saturday. (AP Photo/Sergey Ponomarev) (9 Jul 2012)
<<APPHOTO XSP107 (07/09/12)>>
