TBILISI (Reuters) -Flooding caused by heavy rain and rivers bursting their banks in Armenia and Georgia has killed three people, cut off villages and prompted the evacuation of hundreds of residents from their homes, media reports in the region said.

Russia's Defence Ministry was sending troops to tackle the flooding in response to an Armenian request, it said in a post on the Telegram messaging app.

Russia's TASS news agency quoted Armenia's Interior Ministry as saying the death toll had risen to three in villages on the Debed River near the border with Georgia.

TASS quoted the ministry as saying hundreds of homes had been flooded and 230 rescue workers had been dispatched to the area.

Video footage in Marneuli and Bolnisi in Georgia showed submerged streets and stranded vehicles. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan visited the flood zone on Sunday, TV footage showed.

Georgia's Interpress news agency reported that at least 15 villages were cut off from the outside world due to heavy rainfall.

(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Alexander Marrow; Editing by Kirsten Donovan, Ron Popeski and Josie Kao)