Moscow deaths double to 700 a day

DEATHS in Moscow have doubled to an average of 700 people a day as the Russian capital is engulfed by poisonous smog from wildfires and a sweltering heat wave, a top health official said yesterday.

Moscow health chief Andrei Seltsovky blamed weeks of unprecedented heat and suffocating smog for the rise in mortality compared to the same time last year, Russian news agencies reported. He said city morgues were nearly overflowing, filled with 1,300 bodies, close to their capacity.

Acrid smog blanketed Moscow for a sixth straight day yesterday, with concentrations of carbon monoxide and other poisonous substances two to three times higher than what is considered safe.

Those airborne pollutants reached a record over the weekend – exceeding the safe limit by nearly seven times.

About 550 separate blazes were burning nationwide yesterday, mainly across western Russia, including about 40 around Moscow, according to the Emergencies Ministry. Forest and peat bog fires have been triggered by the most intense heat wave in 130 years of record keeping.

Alexander Frolov, head of Russia’s weather service, said judging by historic documents, this heatwave could be the worst in up to 1,000 years.

He said the heat in Moscow reflects the global climate’s increased volatility.

Daily highs have reached up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius), compared to the usual summer average of 75 F (24C). According to the forecast, there will be no respite this week.

Diarmid Campbell-Lendrum, a climate change and health expert at the World Health Organisation in Geneva, said deaths could certainly double with higher temperatures alone – a phenomenon seen during Europe’s 2003 heatwave.

“The impacts tend to be more severe in places that are not used to these kinds of temperatures,” he told The Associated Press. “These temperatures wouldn’t be out of place in the southern US or Australia, but in Russia the infrastructure is not used to these temperatures and the risk of death will increase.”

At least 52 people have died directly in the wildfires and more than 2,000 homes have been destroyed. Flights to Moscow have been delayed and diverted.