MOSCOW, April 27 (Xinhua) — Three people were killed and over 76,000 residents are cut off from electricity supplies across several Russian regions due to severe weather, the press service of the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry said Monday.
A cyclone bringing wet snow and powerful winds has swept across central and northwestern Russia, causing widespread power outages.
Moscow and multiple regions in Russia were hit by an unusually heavy late-April snowstorm on Monday, breaking weather records and causing widespread disruptions.
Samara Governor Vyacheslav Fedorishchev said three people died in a day as a result of storm winds in the region, including a girl and a man who were struck by falling trees.
“An orange danger level is in place in the region, with wind gusts reaching 27 m/s (around 60 mph). Building roofs, power lines, public transport stops, cars and trees are being damaged. A terrible tragedy,” Fedorishchev wrote on the Russian social media platform Max.
Over 2,000 residents of the Novgorod region are without electricity due to severe weather, and 22 energy teams are working to restore power, regional Governor Alexander Dronov said.
He said that mass power outages had begun in the Novgorod region due to bad weather and that 12 districts were affected.
The Russian Emergency Situations Ministry said in a statement that more than 76,000 residents are without electricity, and over 740 trees have fallen, with more than 80 vehicles damaged, adding that rescuers are keeping the public informed of the ongoing emergency restoration efforts.
In the Leningrad and Pskov regions, power outages first occurred on Sunday afternoon. Emergency repairs began immediately and continued around the clock.
“Power has been restored to nearly 70 percent of affected consumers in the shortest possible time,” said a local energy company.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said city services had been placed on high alert on Monday, warning of worsening conditions, including wind gusts of up to 23 m/s. Authorities issued an orange-level weather warning, with blizzards and icy conditions expected.
Transport services in Moscow were disrupted, with delays to trains and at airports. The capital closed most parks, suspended rentals of electric scooters and car-sharing vehicles equipped with summer tires over safety concerns, and urged residents to use public transport and avoid unnecessary travel.
The snowfall would ease by evening but last into Tuesday, according to forecasters. ■
