Death toll in Moscow storm rises to 16

The number of people killed in a freak storm that struck the Russian capital rose to 16, officials reported on Tuesday.

Strong winds and torrential rain swept through Moscow on Monday evening leading to extreme weather conditions that reportedly killed 11 people in the city itself and some five others in the wider Moscow region, according to information provided by the Russian Investigative Committee and the Moscow regional governor, Efe news reported.

The majority of the victims were thought to have been killed by falling trees.

The storm lasted several hours and uprooted thousands of trees in the region, blocked off traffic access in parts of the city and triggered power cuts.

Another 150 people were hospitalised during the extreme meteorological phenomenon, including 22 children, according to medical sources.

Some areas of Moscow registered 30 mm of rainfall in a short space of time, which amounts to 60 per cent more than the capital's monthly average.

--IANS

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