Five people who had been feared dead, amid devastating floods in eastern Russia have been found alive, authorities said on Wednesday.
The death toll stands at 18, with another eight people still missing, state media reported, citing an emergency official in the Irkutsk region.
“Seventeen people died of drowning, one of hypothermia,” the official said in comments carried by state news agency TASS.
Torrential rains in the Siberian region in recent weeks have caused rivers to overflow, resulting in severe flooding.
Nearly 100 communities have been inundated, the regional administration said in a statement.
About 1,500 people have sought medical assistance, according to state media. More than 200 people have been reported hospitalized.
In June, two residents of the rural town of Yevdokimova died after refusing to leave their home during an evacuation, the regional administration said.
It insisted that residents should heed the warning to evacuate.
