Flash floods kill nine in Odesa after torrential rain in southern Ukraine

Flash floods in Ukraine's southern city of Odesa killed nine people including a family of five, who were swept away from their flat, emergency services said on Wednesday, after a day of torrential rain.

Teams worked through the night to rescue some 362 people and pump water from buildings, the service said on the Telegram messaging app, and it posted pictures of passengers being lifted from a flooded bus and cars pulled from the water.

"Currently, nine people are known to have died," the service said.

A family of five who lived in lower ground floor flat of a building were swept away by the water and unable to escape, the emergency service's spokesperson for the Odesa region Maryna Averina told Ukrainian television.

Another three women died as they were walking along a road, Averina added.

"In just seven hours, almost two months' worth of rain fell in Odesa," Mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov said on Telegram earlier. "No stormwater drainage system can withstand such a load."

Governor Oleh Kiper said the region was now suffering from torrential rainfall for a second day, which had flooded roads, caused power outages, damaged property and brought down trees.

Over 500 workers were involved in the rescue effort, he said. He added 42,000 customers in 32 villages and towns in the region were still temporarily without power.