Moscow, 30 July 2023 (dpa/MIA) – At least eight people, including three children, have died in a whirlwind that struck a holiday camp in a forest in the Russian republic of Mari El, the head of the republic's government, Yury Zaitsev, said on Telegram on Sunday.

A further 27 people were injured, with at least 10 needing hospital care, the local authority reported.

The dead and injured were members of a tourist group that set up camp on the shores of Lake Yalchik more than 700 kilometres east of Moscow. The storm brought down trees that fell onto the group's tents and cars.

The Russian Civil Defence Ministry reported that the group had neglected to inform the local authorities of their presence and had not heeded weather forecasts.

Hundreds of people were reported to be camping in tents or in vehicles around the lake. Many were unable to leave the area, as roads were blocked by fallen trees.

The Civil Defence Ministry reported that more than 500 towns and villages in the Volga Federal District, to which Mari El belongs, had been hit by the storm, with hundreds of trees brought down and more than 70 people injured.

One child died in the Republic of Tatarstan to the south after a tree fell on a tent. Damage to many roofs was also reported.

Photo: MIA archive