The death toll in the wildfires that have swept Russia has now risen to 34, the country's emergencies ministry said on Monday.
Ministry official Vladimir Stepanov also said a total of 265 residential areas had been "saved from fires" in the last 24 hours.
Wildfires raging in the central part of European Russia have also left over 2,000 people homeless and caused damage estimated at over 4.6 billion rubles ($150 million), the Regional Development Ministry said.
The wildfires have affected 14 Russian regions, with the most severe destruction in the Nizhny Novgorod, Voronezh and Ryazan regions, the ministry said.
Servicemen completed the installation of a pipeline in the Yegorievsk district near Moscow on August 1 to carry water to areas hit by blazes. Another pipeline in the nearby Shatura district is still under construction. Each of the pipelines will deliver up to 3,000 cubic meters of water per day.
A firefighting unit in Voronezh region has been expanded from 1,800 to 3,000 people. Two Emergencies Ministry aircraft, an Il-76 Candid and an Mi-8 Hip helicopter, as well as 500 fire engines are working to fight fires in the region. The area on fire in the Voronezh region has been cut from 3,200 hectares to 2,200 hectares over the last few days.
Homeless fire victims from Voronezh region received 20,000 rubles ($660) in compensation on Sunday.
MOSCOW, August 2 (RIA Novosti)
