At least 18 people have died in floods that have devastated the Siberian region of Irkutsk, according to Russian authorities.

Rising water levels have driven several thousand people from their homes and fears are rising for eight missing people.

The severe flooding was caused by torrential rains that hit the region last week. The water levels of some rivers quickly rose over more than two metres.

Up to 30,000 people lost electricity, with water also damaging roads.

A state of emergency was declared, with about 3,300 homes and nearly 10,000 people affected.

The damage to the region is currently estimated at about 1.1bn rubles ($17m).

Russia‘s President Vladimir Putin visited the region over the weekend, instructing Minister of Defence Sergei Shoigu to bring in troops to help deal with the flood.

Around 1,000 servicemen and 300 military units were sent to the affected area.