US hit by killer heatwave as southern Russia mourns flood victims

The US heatwave came as the death toll rose to at least 150 from severe flooding in the Black Sea region of southern Russia that turned streets into rivers, swept away bridges and inundated thousands of homes as many residents were sleeping.

The heat in the US sent temperatures soaring over 100F (38C) in several cities, including a record 105 F (40.5C) in Washington, St Louis (106 F, 41C), and Indianapolis (104 F, 40C), buckled highways and derailed a Washington-area train.

Temperatures soared in more than 20 states to 105F (40.5C) in Louisville, Kentucky, 101F (38.5 C) in Philadelphia, and 95 F (35C) in New York; a record of 104 F (40 C) was set in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

At least 30 deaths were blamed on the heat, including nine in Maryland and 10 in Chicago, mostly among the elderly. Three elderly people found dead in their houses in Ohio had heart disease, but died of high temperatures in homes lacking electricity because of recent power cuts, officials said. Heat was also cited as a factor in three deaths in Wisconsin, two in Tennessee and three in Pennsylvania.

In Maryland, investigators said heat probably caused rails to kink and led a green line train to partially derail in Prince George’s County, Maryland, on Friday afternoon. No one was injured.

Thousands on the East Coast remained without power more than a week after deadly summer storms and extreme heat struck the area, including 120,000 in West Virginia and some 37,000 in the Washington DC suburbs.

In Russia, President Vladimir Putin flew to the flood-hit region and ordered investigators to determine whether more could have been done to prevent the deaths.

Torrential rains dropped up to a foot of water in less than 24 hours, which the state meteorological service said was five times the monthly average.

The water rushed into the hard-hit town of Krymsk with such speed and volume early on Saturday that residents said they suspected that water had been released from a reservoir in the mountains above. Federal investigators acknowledged that water had been released, but they insisted it did not cause the flooding and the dam had not been breached.

The Interior Ministry said 150 bodies had been recovered, 139 in Krymsk and nine in Gelendzhik. Most of the dead were elderly. Krymsk residents described a wave of water that washed over cars and inundated homes. More than 5,000 homes were flooded.