High winds leave 80 locations in blackout

Some 80 settlements, mainly in northern and central Moldova, were left without electrical power by the strong winds that blew last evening. Liliana Puscasu, the spokesperson for the Civil Protection & Emergency Service, has told Info-Prim Neo that the worst battered settlements were from the districts of Glodeni, Edinet, Rascani, Ungheni and Straseni. In Ustia village, Glodeni, the winds damaged the roofing and windows of some 500 public and private structures. A lamppost collapsed on the kitchen of the village kindergarten. The roof of the school in Dusmani village was partially damaged, while a water tower broke down in Cuhnesti village. The gusts also inflicted damage to farmland in several locations. As of today in the morning at 06:30, 36 settlements across the country had no electrical power. Also yesterday, reckless use of open fire in combination with wind gusts were to blame for four incidents, which were all dealt with by firefighters. From the beginning of the year, there were recorded 957 fires in Moldova, which killed 108 persons, including 6 children, and damaged 150 structures and 69 vehicles.