BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

20/01/2007

Serious damage done by windstorm in Belarus

MINSK, January 20 (Itar-Tass) - The windstorm raging in Belarus during the past day did serious damage to more than 2,000 populated areas, the Belarussian Emergencies Ministry's press secretary Vitaly Novitsky told Itar-Tass on Saturday.

The most serious damage was done to the Vitebsk region. The situation was the worst in the power supply system.

Almost 1,900 populated areas were left without electricity in the country on the whole.

About three fourths of the electricity system damage was repaired by the morning of January 20.

The wind also damaged roofs on 120 houses and about 300 farm constructions. Besides, according to reports, a water tower was destroyed and a long mobile communication antenna fell from a roof. Fortunately, there were no victims.

Meteorologists have issued another storm warning for this Saturday.

Snow, the first this year in Belarus, has covered a large part of the republic's territory.

A heavy wind of up to 24 metres a second is forecast there for Saturday.

Source:

http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=11172672&PageNum=0