A tornado ripped through the city of Kushva in the Ural Mountains region of Sverdlovsk on Monday evening, knocking down power lines, destroying homes and injuring at least 16 people, local emergency authorities said.
Dozens of homes were completely leveled and nearly 100 others sustained damage from the high winds. Videos shared on social media captured the funnel cloud moving through a populated area, while subsequent images revealed a landscape of uprooted trees, crushed vehicles and destroyed houses.
The strength of the tornado was not immediately clear.
Regional officials said emergency crews were working around the clock to restore electricity to the city, which is located around 170 kilometers (105 miles) north of the regional capital, Yekaterinburg.
“Generators are currently keeping the city hospital and the children’s hospital powered. Additionally, electricity has been restored via a backup line to 6,000 residential consumers,” the regional government said in a press release.
While tornadoes are uncommon in Russia due to its geography, more than 100 are recorded across the country annually.
“This is certainly a rare event. However, such tornadoes do occur once every few years in the Sverdlovsk region and surrounding areas,” said local meteorologist Alexei Pulin.
“What’s unique about this particular incident is that it passed directly through the city, caused extensive damage, and was witnessed by multiple residents,” he added.
The Sverdlovsk regional branch of Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry warned that severe weather will persist throughout the week. Forecasters expect heavy rain, thunderstorms, hail and gale-force winds to hit the region between Wednesday and Thursday.
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