2 killed in Moscow rainstorm

MOSCOW

Two people were killed and 18 hospitalized Thursday in a rainstorm in Moscow, according to the Emergency Situations Ministry.

A man was crushed by a fallen tree and another died after falling from scaffolding that had broken because of strong winds, it said in a statement.

The storm caused multiple casualties in districts of the capital and the number of injured are being assessed, said the statement.

Authorities are also assessing damage to the property and the number of fallen trees, it added.

The Moscow Health Department said in a separate statement that "18 people were hospitalized in city hospitals, three of them are in serious condition, although there is no threat to life. There are four children among the hospitalized, their condition is assessed as satisfactory.”

The Emergency Situations Ministry and the office of Moscow’s mayor urged Muscovites to refrain from staying outside in bad weather and warned that the weather forecast foreshadows heavy rain, wind gusts and even tornadoes.

The storm was rated 10 out of 12 points on the Beaufort scale.