07:44: “Megastorm” kills eight people in Russia, occupied Ukraine and Moldova
Violent gusts of wind and huge waves: Storms described as a “megastorm” left eight dead in Russia, the annexed Crimea and other occupied areas of Ukraine and Moldova on Monday, according to authorities and media. Dubbed the “storm of the century” and “megastorm” by the Russian media, this storm, which has been ongoing since Sunday, has hit Crimea, a Ukrainian peninsula annexed in 2014, southwestern Russia and the partially occupied regions of Donetsk, Lugansk and Zaporizhzhia hardest hit, and Kherson in the Ukraine, according to the Russian Energy Ministry.
The body of a man was found in Sochi, a popular Russian seaside resort, according to regional authorities, who advised residents not to go near the water. Another man who was “watching the waves” died in Crimea, an adviser to Crimea’s governor, Oleg Krioutchkov, told public television.
According to Russian news agencies, one person was also killed on board a boat in the Kerch Strait between Crimea and Russia, and a body was discovered in Novorossiysk in the Krasnodar Territory. In Moldova, the authorities also announced the deaths of four people, citing media sources.