Heavy rainfall sends 70,000 people into blackout in Russia’s Vladivostok

A cyclone has left around 70,000 people in Russia’s Vladivostok with no electricity, the local prosecutor’s office reports.

Oleg Kozhemyako, the local governor, says heavy rainfalls are present in Vladivostok, Artyom, and the districts of Khasan, Ussuriysk, Dalnerechensk, Kirovsky, and Nadezhdinsky.

“Dear locals, the situation on the roads of our region is challenging due to heavy rainfalls, some roads and bridges were damaged. We ask you to refrain from using personal vehicles without urgent need,” Kozhemyako stated.

Some kindergartens were flooded in the city of Vladivostok. The city’s tram lines were temporarily closed.

“It is currently unsafe to be near the Bogataya River in Vladivostok as the area is flooded due to rainfalls and forced discharge of water from the local reservoir,” the local authorities say.

The Vladivostok region is expecting another gale warning today. The local head of the government Vera Shcherbina says a total of 72 were damaged, and the flood affected 5,000 households.