The death toll from flooding in the southwestern part of Russia has risen to 171.

One-hundred-59 bodies were found in a village in Krasnodar, the area worst hit by the natural disaster.

Local authorities say most of the dead were apparently asleep and failed to escape the flooding. The authorities added that elderly people account for the largest number of deaths.

Roughly five-thousand houses remain inundated and the locals are still without electricity and drinking water.