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Number of deaths in Russia in New Year holidays drops by 25%

The Emergencies Ministry’s experts are confident that such a result was achieved owing to their major preventive efforts

MOSCOW, January 10 (Itar-Tass) — The total number of fires and deaths decreased significantly during this year’s New Year holidays in Russia, as compared to the same period of 2011, Director of the Russian Emergencies Ministry’s Supervisory Department Yuri Deshevykh told Itar-Tass on Tuesday.

“In the period from December 31 to January 9, more than 4,000 fires were registered in Russia, which is 24 percent smaller than in the same period of last year,” he said. “In the period under review, the death toll amounted to 471 people, or 22 percent less than in the same days of 2011,” Deshevykh said.

The Emergencies Ministry’s experts are confident that such a result was achieved owing to their major preventive efforts.

Only several years ago, the total number of fires in holidays might reach 870 cases a day, while the number of deaths might be at about 117 people. The negative tendency was overcome in 2011.

“According to the ministry, an average daily number of fires decreased by 27.4 percent in the reporting period, as compared the New Year holidays of 2011, and stood at 429 cases,” an official at the ministry’s Information Department said.

“Besides, an average daily death rate dropped by 36.5 percent and amounted to 47 deaths,” the official added.

However, the hike of fire and death cases during the holidays was registered in the Kaliningrad region. The number of fires grew in the republics of Komi, Tyva, Khakassia, as well as in the Novgorod, Saratov and Ivanovo regions and in the Perm Territory.

The death toll increased in the republics of Sakha (Yakutia), Mary-El, Buryatia, as well as in the Samara, Moscow, Oryol, Ryazan and Pskov regions and in the Khabarovsk territory.

“The biggest part of fires occurred in the private houses of the rural areas mainly due to the negligence of persons in the state of alcoholic intoxication,” the ministry’s official stressed.

Over the period of holidays, gross violation of the safety rules in the use of pyrotechnics triggered 37 fires, which is 36 percent less than in the same period of 2011, the official said.

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