Russian authorities have opened an inquiry into the deaths of two young girls who were killed by a falling tree while sheltering from a violent hailstorm in western Siberia.
The girls, aged 3 and 4, suffered traumatic brain injuries after the tree toppled onto their tent at a campsite near Siberia's largest city, Novosibirsk. A third child, also aged 3, was seriously injured in the incident.
A YouTube video viewed more than 7 million times since being posted online Saturday caught the moment the storm hit the city, raining golf-ball-sized hail on scantily clad locals who had been enjoying a sunny day at the beach just seconds before.
The last time Siberia saw such wintry weather in July was more than a century ago, a senior forecaster told news agency UralInformBuro.
Warning: Video contains Russian curse words.
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