At least 25 hurt in Russia as wildfires tear through villages in Siberia

At least 25 hurt in Russia as wildfires tear through villages in Siberia
By Mark Armstrong with AP, TASS
Share this articleComments
Share this articleClose Button
Copy/paste the article video embed link below:Copy to clipboardCopied

Russia says wildfires in the Siberia region are under control but at least 25 people have been hurt and over 80 homes destroyed

ADVERTISEMENT

Russia's Emergencies Ministry says all wildfires in southeast Siberia's Trans-Baikal region have been put out.

Firefighters spent Saturday battling blazes that tore through villages in fourteen districts. Some of the fires had been burning for at least 24 hours before being brought under control.

The Tass news agency reported at least 25 injuries, two of them serious, although it said there were no children among them.

Local authorities said the fires destroyed 107 buildings, of which 88 were residential houses.

The emergencies ministry put the wildfires down to unfavourable weather such as strong winds and a sudden spell of higher temperatures when lakes and rivers were still covered by ice. The winds now reported to be subsiding.

Share this articleComments

You might also like

Wintry weather hits south of Spain

Fire at shopping centre in Bangladesh capital kills at least 43

Storms cause traffic chaos and floods in Spain