Russia wildfires: 700 die a day in Moscow as smog doubles mortality rate

Deaths in Moscow have hit 700 a day as the Russian capital is engulfed by poisonous smog from wildfires and a heatwave.

Health chiefs in the city say the normal daily death toll of 350 has doubled since Moscow was smothered by acrid smoke.

Mortuaries are close to overflowing with several said to be storing bodies upright because of a lack of space.

A nuclear plant in the Urals, was the latest site threatened by the wildfires and a state of emergency has been announced in the area.


Officials are also concerned about radiation fallout from the 1986 Chernobyl disaster being unleashed into the atmosphere by the peat fires.


A cover-up was alleged by Alexei Yablokov, a Kremlin official turned environmental campaigner, as federal officials stick to a widelydisbelieved figure of 52 deaths caused by the wildfires.


He said: 'In Russia's central district we have 1,000 more deaths than in normal times and this must mean that the numbers of people getting ill is between 100 and 1,000 times higher than usual.'

Daily highs have reached up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius), compared to the summer average of 75 (24 C), and according to the forecast, there will be no respite this week.

At least 52 people have died directly in the wildfires and over 2,000 homes have been destroyed. Flights to Moscow have been delayed and diverted.

Russian authorities have acknowledged that the 10,000 firefighters battling the blazes aren't enough, and sent thousands of army soldiers to help fight the fires.

On the Russian blogosphere, one of the country's last outposts of unfettered expression, the mood was bleak and angry that the situation had become so serious. ...

'Every night it's like we prepare for war,' blogger Tsirtsis wrote on the independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta's site.


'With open windows, it's impossible to breathe because of the burning, and with closed windows we choke in the stifling heat.' ...


via Russia wildfires: 700 die a day in Moscow as smog doubles mortality rate | Mail Online.

An entire article about how bad things are and not a mention of what anyone can do to help.  So, below is a list of orphanages in Russia if you want to help some of the kids over there.  You may even want to adopt a child from Russia.

CARN Orphanage in Karakol - Kirgizia
Russian Orphan Opportunity Fund (ROOF)
Russian Christian Orphan Outreach
St Petersburg Shelter for Girls - Russia
The Harbor in Saint Petersburg - Russia
Staritsa Orphanage - Russia
Russian Relief Orphanage 1 - Russia
St. Nicholas Orphanage - Russia
Miramed Institute - Russia
Buryat Families Home Page - Russia
Kidsave International - Russia
International Association of Orphanages - Russia
Orphanage 55 - Russia
Project Bagrationovsk - Russia
Orphanage at Sergiev Posad - Russia
Children In Common - Russia
Pyatyorka Orphanage - Russia
Otchiy Dom (Father’s House) - Russia
Aistyata Orphanage #2 in Chelyabinsk - Russia
More Orphanages in Russia