Floods hit Russian national parks

Moscow, Aug 30

Floods and landslides triggered by heavy rain in the Primorye region of the Russian Far East, have affected the wildlife and infrastructure of two national parks, "Land of the Leopard" and "Kedrovaya Pad", local authorities said on Wednesday, authorities said on Wednesday.

According to the local media, habitats birds and reptiles were washed away, and some animals, including rare Far Eastern leopards and Amur tigers, had to escape from the water to the hills, reports Xinhua news agency.

On Tuesday, heavy rainfall ranging from 30 to 200 mm hit the south of Primorye region.

Currently, 29 villages in Primorye are isolated from road access.

The floods also destroyed bridges, buildings, gates, fences and other objects on the territory of the parks.

Some employees were cut off from roads and had to be evacuated by sea transport.

The main river of the "Kedrovaya Pad" reserve flooded its banks and exceeded its historical maximum water level.

The suspension bridge across the Kedrovaya River was demolished.

The heavy rains in the region have been continuing since early August.

More than 5,000 households were affected by the rainfall and the total damage is estimated at 7 billion rubles ($73 million) so far.