Powerful winds and heavy rain have hit Ekaterinburg in Russia’s Urals, on Monday afternoon, felling numerous trees, damaging cars and obliterating weak structures. At least three people have been killed by the hurricane.
The hurricane brought down numerous trees across the city, Russia’s fourth-largest, multiple videos show, blocking some roads and also destroying power lines, disrupting electricity supply.
Many unlucky motorists have found their vehicles obliterated by fallen trees and damaged by other debris.
One man was literally blown into the air as he tried to hold down a large sheet of plastic that came loose from a roofed parking lot and was battering cars. According to media reports, the man walked away from the encounter with minor injuries, while the rogue plastic was eventually tackled into submission.
The winds have damaged several buildings across the city, sending pieces of metal roofing and other, less solid items flying.
One video shows a strong gust of wind tearing down a mobile telecoms mast, which crashed to the ground.
Another shows a balcony blown off a residential building; luckily, no one was on the ground beneath it when the pieces of glass and metal landed.
In the town of Aramil, some 25 km southeast of Ekaterinburg, the roof of a two-story structure was torn off completely, a troubling images show. The roof crashed into a parking lot behind the building, killing one man on the spot.
Several construction sites have been affected by the winds as well, with assorted loose materials becoming airborne. A crane was downed at one of them, badly injuring the worker operating the machinery. The man was rushed to a hospital, though medics there were unable to save him.
Another man was killed in the city by an airborne gate, local officials have confirmed. As the impact of the hurricane is still being assessed, the death toll may well grow further.
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