Posted on August 1, 2010 - by Venik
Patriarch Kirill tells Russians to pray for rain as wildfires spread
Orthodox church leader mourns loss of life and calls upon residents to unite during visit to Nizhny Novgorod region
Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill asked Russians to pray for rain today as wildfires raged across parts of the country.
The unprecedented that began in June has left several regions sweltering in the hottest temperatures since records began. The weather has withered crops and pushed thousands of farmers to the verge of bankruptcy.
During a visit to the Nizhny Novgorod region, one of the worst hit by fires, Patriarch Kirill said: “Grief has come to our nation, human lives have been lost, hundreds have lost shelter and thousands have been left without sustenance, including children. I call upon everyone to unite in prayer for rain to descend on our earth.”
Itar-Tass news agency reported that Nizhny Novgorod governor Valery Shantsev said firefighters were trying to prevent fires in a nature reserve in next-door Mordovia from reaching the Russian Federal Nuclear Centre.
“We would like to employ aircraft to take part in putting out the flames, but it cannot work at the moment … due to low visibility,” he said.
The Emergencies Ministry said at least 28 people have died in wildfires in Russia in the past few days, adding that by this morning a 774 fires had been registered, including 369 ones that occurred since yesterday. More than 5,200 people have been evacuated from disaster-stricken regions, it said.
“The threat of new fires has increased sharply due to unfavourable weather in a number of regions in the central and Volga federal districts, with temperatures soaring to up to 40C (104F).
About 240,000 people were battling the flames and army units, including elite paratroops, were taking part in the fight, the Ministry added.
Prime minister Vladimir Putin has ordered his government to allocate 5bn roubles (£105m) to help fire victims.
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