A 31-metre-per-second storm in St. Petersburg, Russia’s second-largest city, killed at least three people, local media have reported.

 

According to Fontanka, a news outlet based in St. Petersburg, the northern capital was struck by violent winds that devastated both urban and rural areas on the evening of July 1. Two of the victims have already been named by the St. Petersburg Investigative Committee.

The victims included a 36-year-old woman who died on Prospekt Gagarina in St. Petersburg when a tree fell on her. The second fatality was an 11-year-old boy who was hit by a tree on Prospekt Shaumyana and was hospitalised in critical condition. He later succumbed to his severe injuries, including a brain contusion, skull fractures and internal organ damage. The third victim, according to Fontanka, was a 26-year-old Tajikistani citizen. He was killed by a falling birch tree while working on a construction site in the village of Novo-Toksovo in the Leningrad Region.

 

In addition to the three deaths, the storm reportedly damaged at least ten cars, and six people sustained injuries, with one in intensive care.

Writing on Telegram, the Governor of St. Petersburg, Alexander Beglov, asked residents to avoid moving around the city if possible.

“Weather forecasters report that the calm we are seeing right now is temporary. If possible, stay home and take care of yourself,” he wrote on the evening of July 1. “City services are working in enhanced mode to eliminate the consequences of bad weather.”

The weather also shut down Pulkovo, St. Petersburg’s international airport. Restrictions were introduced for 25 minutes due to the thunderstorm, and three planes were diverted to alternative airports.