Almost 1,500 dwellings restored near Novorossisk

Altogether 1,370 dwellings, 56 housing and utility facilities, 31.1km of automobile roads, 41 water intakes and 16 bridges hit by the natural calamity in areas near Novorossisk (Black Sea port) have been restored.

RIA Novosti learned on Thursday from the press service of the Emergencies Ministry that about 2,400 people, more than 260 units of equipment and 22 vessels participated in the rescue work.

The traffic on automobile roads and railways, as well as life-support systems (with the exception of power supplies in the settlements of Gaiduk and Dyurso, water pipelines in the settlement of Gaiduk and communications in Shirokaya Balka have been restored in the region, reported the Emergency Ministry.

Divers of the Defence and Emergency Ministries continue looking for the bodies of people and cars along the coastline near the settlements of Shirokaya Balka, Abrau-Dyurso and Sukhaya Shchel.

The number of victims has not changed -- so far the bodies of 58 people have been recovered.

As a result of last Thursday's torrential rains and tornado in the area of Novorossisk, the city of Novorossisk, Anapa, Krymsk and 15 other settlements were flooded. The natural calamity damaged 7,068 and destroyed 424 houses, and disrupted railway and automobile communications.

According to preliminary estimates, the damage from the natural calamity totals 1.215 billion roubles.