Wildfires Kill 40 Russians; 58 Drown Amid Heat Wave
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Forty Russians have died to date as wildfires rage in central Russia, while 58 drowned in the last 24 hours trying to escape a heat wave that has scorched crops and driven grain prices higher.
Firefighters are battling 529 blazes that cover 172,372 hectares (666 square miles), the Emergency Situations Ministry said on its website today. Since the start of the fire season, 648,555 hectares have burned and more than 155,000 emergency personnel have been deployed in suppression efforts, the ministry said.