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Putin arrives in flood-hit Siberian region

According to the latest update, the flooding claimed 25 lives and seven are still listed as missing

© Svetlana Latynina/TASS

BRATSK, July 19. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in the city of Bratsk in southeastern Siberia’s Irkutsk region, hit by devastating floods late last month.

The Kremlin press service earlier said that the Russian leader would hold a meeting on measures to deal with the aftermath of the flooding with government members, heads of state agencies and local officials.

"The head of state will also visit flood-affected areas and accommodation centers for people who lost their homes in the flooding," the statement reads.

FLOODS IN IRKUTSK REGION

The president visited the Irkutsk region overnight to June 30. After the G20 summit held in Japan he came to the region to see the situation with his own eyes. During that visit, he met with officials in Bratsk, giving numerous instructions on post-disaster recovery and aid to those affected. On July 3, Putin met with Russian government officials in Moscow to hear their reports.

The unprecedented flooding in the Irkutsk region in late June was caused by torrential rains and snow melting in the Sayan Mountains. About 11,000 dwelling houses and about the same number of household plots, 49 social infrastructure facilities and 49 sections of motorways in 107 settlements were flooded. Twenty-two motorway bridges were damaged. According to the latest update, the flooding claimed 25 lives and seven are still listed as missing. A state of emergency is still in force in the region.

The Russian government has already earmarked to the region about 17 billion rubles (about $270.4 million at the current exchange rate) for various disaster recovery purposes.

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