Violent Storm Killed 16 In And Around Moscow

A traffic light leans at a steep angle in central Moscow after a heavy storm on May 29.

Russian authorities say the death toll from a violent storm that swept through Moscow and the surrounding region on May 29 has risen to 16.

Investigative Committee spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko said on May 30 that the storm killed 11 people in Moscow.

Moscow region Governor Andrei Vorobyov said that five people including a child were killed in the region, which rings the capital.

The storm hit the area at about 4 p.m. local time on May 29, felling trees, tearing down power lines, and sending residents running for cover. They had received little warning from the authorities.

Moscow region health-department chief Aleksei Khripun said on May 30 that 168 people sought medical help and that 108 injured storm victims, including 22 children, remained hospitalized.

He said eight were in very serious condition.

The Energy Ministry said earlier that damage from the storm had left some 7,300 people in Moscow without electricity.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said gale-force winds of up to 110 kilometers per hour uprooted more than 3,500 trees.

With reporting by RIA Novosti, TASS, and Interfax