Downpour-triggered mudslide kills 7 in Russia

MOSCOW - A mudslide triggered by heavy rains killed seven people in southern Russia, the country's Emergency Situations Department said Wednesday.

The tragedy happened in Derbent, a city in the North Caucasus republic of Dagestan, where parts of the city were flooded following a 40-minute downpour, an emergency official told local media.

Preliminary information showed that some 1,120 people, including 280 children, were trapped in the flooded area and more than 300 houses in the region were inundated.

Hundreds of rescuers were busy pumping out floodwaters from basements and clearing garbage and pebbles on the streets, a local emergency official from Dagestan told Interfax news agency.

However, the gas and power supplies as well as other utility systems were not affected, added the official.

The cleanup operation would be finished by Wednesday evening, and two relief camps have been set up in the city to accommodation people in need, said the official.