Crimea hit by ‘worst storm in history’ (VIDEOS)

A massive storm that hit the Crimean Peninsula on Monday night turned out to be the most powerful in its recorded history, Roman Vilfand, a scientific adviser to the Meteorological Office, told RIA Novosti.

The last time such a storm occurred was more than 160 years ago, Vilfand added.

The meteorologist said that wind speed had reached 40 meters per second (144kph). At least one person died overnight and ten people have sustained injuries in the disaster, according to the regional authorities.

A total of 400,000 people in Crimea were left without electricity in the wake of the storm, and several local municipal districts declared a state of emergency.

Videos shared on social media show huge waves hitting Crimean shores and city embankments, including at Sevastopol.

Houses and highways were flooded with sea water, while other areas of the peninsula faced snowstorms.

Crimea was not the only area hit by the disaster. In Russia’s Krasnodar Region, which includes a long stretch of the eastern Black Sea coast, the storm damaged buildings and led to flooding, videos taken by locals and tourists show.

Footage captured waves hitting a power line near a railway. In another clip taken from a moving train, a railway line running close to the shore collapses because of the storm. Around 50 trains were delayed due to damage sustained by the line, RIA Novosti reported.

Other videos show a one-story building collapsing due to gusty winds in the southern Russian city of Sochi. 

At least one person died in the city because of the storm, which has largely moved on from the area, Russian media reported.