Cold spell kills 207 Russians
MOSCOW. Jan 23 (Interfax) - More than 200 Russians have died from hypothermia and frostbite, a doctor told Interfax on Wednesday.
"Russian regions have lately reported 207 hypothermia and frostbite deaths, including one underage victim," he said.
The death rate of 189 was reported on Tuesday.
The death toll was the highest in the Tyumen region (41), the Chelyabinsk region (37) and the Altai territory (24).
"Four people have died from hypothermia and frostbite in Moscow since the beginning of the cold season," the source said.
Fifty-two people suffered from hypothermia and frostbite in Russian regions on Wednesday, including 15 in Tatarstan, twelve in Bashkortostan and eight in the Kemerovo region, he said.
"Twenty-two of them had to be hospitalized," the source added.
The cold spell has harmed more than 4,500 people across the country. "Over 2,500 of them were taken to hospitals," the source said.
Weathermen forecast a further decline in air temperatures in regions, including the Central Federal District.
Temperatures will go down to -14 -16 degrees Centigrade in Moscow and -13 -18 degrees in suburbs on January 23-24, head of the Russian Hydro-Meteorological Service department on short-term weather and dangerous phenomena forecasts Alexander Golubev told Interfax.
Night temperatures in the Moscow region will drop to -18-22 degrees Centigrade or even -27 degrees in the north, Golubev said.
