Moscow [Russia], November 20: A severe storm sweeping through the Kemerovo region in south-western Siberia has claimed at least three lives and injured a further 18 people, the Interfax news agency reported on Sunday, citing the regional civil protection agency.
Hundreds of houses were damaged in the gale-force gusts. Social networks showed a video clip from Novokuznetsk in which a tree falls onto a moving car.
Power was cut to many households, and public transport was disrupted. Mayor Sergei Kuznezov declared a state of emergency. Novokuznetsk had not seen a natural disaster of this order in decades, he posted on Telegram.
Other Siberian areas were also hit, including the cities of Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk and Irkutsk.
The Russian Energy Ministry said that at one point more than 225,000 people had been without electrical power. (DPA)
Source: Qatar Tribune