MOSCOW, July 1. /TASS/. The death toll from heavy floods in Russia’s Siberian Irkutsk region has reached 14 people. Thirteen more people are missing, a spokesman for the local emergencies services told TASS on Monday.
"According to preliminary data, 14 people died, 13 more are rmissing. As many as 153 people, including one child, were hospitalized," he said.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko said earlier 12 people had died in the floods and nine were missing.
Floods in the Irkutsk region began in late June after torrential rains. A state of emergency was declared in the flood-affected areas. The water level in the river Iya has risen seven meters above the critical mark. As many as 83 settlements in six districts have been affected by the disaster. More than 6,600 residentail houses, which accommodate more than 32,000 people, have been flooded. On Sunday night, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a meeting in the city of Bratsk on the situation in the flooded areas.