MOSCOW: At least six people died as flash floods hit southern Russia, paralyzing road and train traffic across the Black Sea region and forcing hundreds to evacuate their homes, rescue officials said Friday.
The region, which hosted many events for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, saw a huge amount of rain on a single day — Wednesday — that equaled the region’s average rainfall for two months. The deluge caused rivers to overflow and roar down the mountainous area.
Weather forecasters predicted torrential rain Friday evening in Sochi, the Winter Olympics city on the Black Sea where Russian President Vladimir Putin often welcomes foreign dignitaries.
Russia’s Investigative Committee said Friday that six people died in several locations near the town of Tuapse when torrential rains and flash floods hit. An elderly woman also went missing after she was swept away by the gusts of water in Tuapse.
Footage on state television showed people being evacuated from villages in inflatable boats and emergency crews repairing a section of a collapsed bridge.
The floods have damaged roads and railroad bridges, paralyzing traffic. More than 20 trains running along the Black Sea coast have been delayed after a section of a railroad bridge collapsed, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded at nearby stations. Emergency officials offered temporary accommodations and food to the passengers.
Russian Railways said Friday that they have repaired one of the tracks, allowing a train to travel between two major Black Sea coastal towns for the first time since Wednesday.
Flash floods kill 6 in southern Russia; 1 person missing
Flash floods kill 6 in southern Russia; 1 person missing
- The region, which hosted many events for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, saw a huge amount of rain on a single day
- Russia’s Investigative Committee said Friday that six people died in several locations near the town of Tuapse
Mexico’s Sheinbaum to hold a support rally following major protests
- Sheinbaum called for supporters to gather in the capital on the weekend in what analysts said was an attempt to demonstrate her support in the face of growing scrutiny
MEXICO CITY: Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has organized a large rally in the country’s capital on Saturday to shore up her support following a month of political pushback and major protests.
The killing of Mayor Carlos Manzo in restive Michoacan state had sparked two days of demonstrations in November with protesters setting fire to public buildings.
Just weeks later, thousands marched through the streets of Mexico City to protest drug violence and the government’s security policies. That was followed by the abrupt departure of the country’s attorney general, Alejandro Gertz, in December over reported disagreements with Sheinbaum’s administration on crime policy.
Sheinbaum called for supporters to gather in the capital on the weekend in what analysts said was an attempt to demonstrate her support in the face of growing scrutiny.
“We close this 2025 with the historic celebration of seven years of transformation,” Sheinbaum said in a post on X.
Sheinbaum took office in 2024, following the six-year tenure of her predecessor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, with both leaders representing the left-wing Morena party.
“Let us together defend the people’s achievements ... in the Zocalo of Mexico City,” Sheinbaum added, referring to the capital’s main public square where weeks ago protesters criticizing her government’s security policies had clashed with police.
Though Sheinbaum has seen high approval ratings in her first year of power, they dipped slightly in recent months, easing from 74 percent in October to 71 percent at the start of December, according to the Polls MX survey summary.
- ‘Reshape the narrative’ -
Analysts told AFP the president not only faces scrutiny from her political opponents and members of the public, but from within her own party.
This gathering in the Zocalo, the country’s main square, is an “attempt at internal support, to reshape the narrative, to call for unity,” said political analyst Pablo Majluf.
Political columnist Hernan Gomez Bruera told AFP that Sheinbaum is “an incredibly efficient president” who likes to be in control and demands a lot from her team. But she is also “very thin-skinned” and “has difficulty dealing with dissent,” he added.
Despite a slight slip in poll numbers over the past few months, the leftist leader, who is Mexico’s first woman president, is still benefiting from a decline in poverty levels that began under her predecessor.
Sheinbaum has also won praise among her supporters for keeping at bay US President Donald Trump’s threats of high trade tariffs and military action on Mexican soil against drug cartels.
Sheinbaum met with Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in Washington on Friday to discuss trade on the sidelines of the draw for the 2026 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by all three countries. She said on X following the meeting that the three nations maintain a “very good relationship.”
