Heavy Storms Kill Two People In Siberia, Damage Houses, Infrastructure

KEMEROVO, Russia -- Heavy storms and rains in Russia's Siberian region of Kemerovo have left two people dead and damaged dozens of houses and social infrastructure.

The Kemerovo regional administration said on May 27 that the storms swept across the area late in the evening on May 26, toppling a grain depot that was under construction, killing two people and injuring one, while destroying 18 of the 31 houses in the village of Konstantinovka.

In general, the storms and rains that lasted for several hours damaged 147 buildings, mainly private houses and apartments in the region's villages and cities, including the regional capital, Kemerovo.

More than two dozen automobiles were damaged and some 280 trees were felled, local officials said.

The heavy storms and rains also hit the Novosibirsk and Tomsk regions in Siberia.

Tens of thousands of people were left without electricity for hours as the heavy rains caused floods in many towns and cities across the regions.