Man killed in Zarechny hurricane, details emerge

The hurricane that passed through Zarechny on the evening of 20 July resulted in the death of a 74-year-old man. According to preliminary data, he tried to take shelter in a shed, but falling trees destroyed the structure.

A participant in the rescue operation said that relatives lost contact with the deceased in the evening and could not reach him by phone. Activists from the Russian Druzhina (volunteer group) and EMERCOM officers arrived at the scene. During the debris clearance of the destroyed shed, the body was discovered. «In the evening, the relatives lost their loved one. They called him, but he did not answer. Members of the Russian Druzhina and EMERCOM officers arrived at the scene. They began to clear the rubble of the collapsed shed. That is how the body was found. The tragedy occurred in the SNT (dacha cooperative),» the source said.

After the body was recovered, volunteers with saws cleared the area of fallen trees. The press service of the Sverdlovsk Main Directorate of EMERCOM clarified that on that day, due to the elements, power supply was disrupted in five localities, and 30 trees were felled. «Over the past day, unfavorable meteorological phenomena were forecast in certain areas of the region, caused by heavy rains, thunderstorms, and wind gusts of up to 18 m/s. The forecast came true. Currently, emergency restoration work has been completed, and power supply has been restored,» the department added.

Investigators from the Investigative Committee of Russia (ICR) have launched a preliminary inquiry. Alexander Shulga, Senior Assistant to the Head of the Regional Directorate, said: «An inspection of the scene has been conducted, witnesses are being questioned, and other measures are being carried out, based on the results of which a proper legal assessment of the tragedy will be given.»