The Russian government has accused local authorities of failing to warn people about flash floods that left 171 people dead in the eastern Black Sea region of Krasnodar. 

The head of the Krymsk district, which bore the brunt of the damage at the weekend when floods destroyed many homes and streets, lost his job hours after the country's emergency ministry blamed officials on the ground for being slow to issue warnings.

The region's administration has promised compensation for victims' families. However, some survivors of the disaster accuse the government of covering up the actual death toll by burying many bodies in hidden mass graves.

Jonah Hull reports from Krymsk in southern Russia.