16 Dead After Moscow Thunderstorms
16 Dead After Moscow Thunderstorms
MOSCOW (AP) -- The death toll from a powerful thunderstorm in Moscow and its suburbs has reached 16 as dozens still remain in hospital, Russian officials said on Tuesday.
The Investigative Committee said in a statement on Tuesday that 11 people in Moscow and five others in the suburbs were killed as high winds and rain ripped through the Russian capital on Monday, felling trees, tearing off roofs and damaging over 2,000 cars. Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 108 people remain in the hospital.
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Train services around the region were disrupted and dozens of flights from Moscow's airports delayed.
Near hurricane-strong winds reached up to 30 meters per second (67 miles per hour), tearing off roofs from more than 200 houses and felling 14,000 trees. The Moscow Meteorological referred to the storm as a hurricane and said the winds were the strongest ever recorded in the capital.
The storm knocked down several pine trees at the residence of Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on Monday afternoon, temporary blocking the entrance to the compound.
Over 30,000 municipal workers were still dealing with the aftermath on Tuesday afternoon, Sobyanin said.
(KA)