Moscow, Jul 9 (IANS): The toll in the devastating floods in southern Russia reached 144 Sunday, as the country continued to grapple with one of its worst floods in decades.

In the rain-swept Krasnodar region, 144 people have died, of which five were killed by electric shocks, Xinhua quoted the Russian Interior Ministry as saying.

Many residents were killed by flood waters late Friday night while being asleep, said local media.

Around 80 others, including 13 children, had been hospitalised, said the ministry, adding that another 205 people, including 48 children, had sought medical aids.

According to the ministry, intensive relief operations were continuing in the region struck by rains and floods since Friday.

Krymsk, Gelendzhik and Novorossiisk are the three most severely hit districts in the country's southern region.

According to the Emergency Situations Ministry, nearly 30,000 people in Krasnodar had suffered from a blackout due to flooding and over 5,100 houses had been affected.

On Saturday, President Vladimir Putin flew to Krasnodar and held emergency meetings with local authorities on the flooding.

Krasnodar's governor Alexander Tkachyov has declared Monday as the day of mourning for the flood victims.