50 bodies were found outside Novorossiisk, five in the village of Nizhne-Bakansk outside Krymsk, three in Tuapse and one in Gelendzhik, the ministry said.

Defense Ministry and Emergency Situations Ministry divers are searching for bodies and sunken cars near the villages of Shirokaya Balka, Abrau-Dyurso and Sukhaya Shchel. Five cars have been found and three have been recovered.

Essential services in the disaster area have been restored, except in the villages of Gaiduk and Dyurso.

According to Interfax news agency, 2,400 people, 254 sets of equipment and 26 boats are involved in cleanup operations. Damage is estimated at 1.2 billion rubles (39 million US dollars), the ministry said.

Torrential rain destroyed dykes ad water in reservoirs overflowed on the popular Black Sea coast in southern Russia last Thursday, sweeping cars and buses into the sea and damaging holiday homes.

(Xinhua News Agency August 15, 2002)