No fewer than three people have been confirmed dead following strong winds in war-torn Ukraine, which have left thousands without electricity as the country’s energy grid remains vulnerable due to Russian strikes.
Africa Today News, New York reports that the rain and storms coincided with growing concerns over Ukraine’s energy security as winter draws near and Russia’s 20-month invasion continues.
“Three people have been killed by the bad weather — two in Kyiv and one in the Kyiv region,” Oleksiy Kuleba, the deputy head of the presidential office, said on social media.
“Several more people have been injured,” he added.
Kuleba said that some 300,000 people in 14 regions were without power.
He said the western Khmelnytskyi region was the worst affected.
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Regionals officials said winds there reached up to 30 miles (48 kilometres) per hour.
During winter last year Russian forces launched repeated attacks on Ukraine’s energy grid that left millions without electricity, heating and water for extended periods.
Kyiv has warned that it may face another campaign of Russia targeting its energy grid this winter.
In another sad development, no fewer than 35 people have been confirmed dead and more than 50 others injured Saturday in a ‘horrific collision’ on an Egyptian highway involving a bus and several cars, state media has confirmed.
Africa Today News, New York reports that in Egypt, where the highway law is routinely broken and roads are generally in poor condition, traffic accidents are commonplace.
‘A horrific collision on the Cairo-Alexandria desert road near Wadi al-Natrun led to the death of 35 people, at least 18 of whom burnt to death,’ said Al-Ahram news website, indicating “at least 53 were injured”.
Images posted on social media showed an overturned lorry lying across the fast lane on charred tarmac.
Several cars, some still burning, and at least one bus and a minibus, both severely damaged by fire, can be seen further on.