At least eight people were killed, including three children, and another 10 were hospitalized after a hurricane ripped through a camping site in the western Russian city of Yoshkar-Ola, authorities said Sunday.
"According to the latest information, eight people died in Mari El due to the hurricane that took place the day before," said Yevgeny Maslov, mayor of Yoshkar-Ola.
The dead and injured were members of a tourist group that set up camp on the shores of Lake Yalchik more than 700 kilometers east of Moscow. The storm brought down trees that fell onto the group's tents and cars.
Mari El is a Russian region located along the northern bank of the Volga River, and Yoshkar-Ola is its largest city.
The emergency ministry said that nearly 100 rescuers were clearing debris at the campsite, adding that 27 people had received injuries.
"Vacationers did not take into account the weather forecast," the ministry said on messaging app Telegram.
Hundreds of people were reported to be camping in tents or in vehicles around the lake. Many were unable to leave the area, as roads were blocked by fallen trees.
The Civil Defense Ministry reported that more than 500 towns and villages in the Volga Federal District, to which Mari El belongs, had been hit by the storm, with hundreds of trees brought down and more than 70 people injured.
One child died in the republic of Tatarstan to the south after a tree fell on a tent. Damage to many roofs was also reported.
