BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

15/01/2007

Stormy winds cause losses in Belarus populated localities, injure 3

MINSK, January 15 (Itar-Tass) -- Stormy winds with gusts up to 25 meters per second that swept down to Belarus in the small hours of Monday broke the habitual pace of life in many towns and villages across the country.

More than 1,200 populated localities, especially in the Grodno and Minsk regions, have been hit by the storm since the beginning of the day, an official at the country's Ministry of Emergency Situations told Itar-Tass on Monday.

The storm left 1,077 towns and villages without electricity supplies. Over 500 of them still remain cut off from the national power grid, the official said.

At least three people were injured. In Minsk, an advertising board tumbled down on an elderly woman.

In Soligorsk, constructions of a bus stop, which was overturned by the hurricane, fell on a group of people. As a result, two of them were injured, one of whom was rushed to a hospital, the official said.

Almost 2,000 specialists and over 450 units of machinery were mobilized to deal with the storm aftermaths, the official said.

Minsk rescuers are working round-the-clock. Special teams are trying to do their utmost to resume power supplies and repair roofs.

Moreover, New Year decorations, placards and cross street banners are being taking away from the streets and squares in many Belarussian towns and cities.

Source:

http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=11157267&PageNum=0