Luhansk region is ablaze/ Photo from dsns.gov.ua

The total death toll from forest wildfires currently raging in Luhansk region, Ukraine's east, has grown to 11 people.

This was reported by the Prosecutor General's Office in Ukraine.

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"As of 19:00 Kyiv time, October 1, 2020, the death toll was 11 people," it said.

Another 17 victims suffering from burns and carbon monoxide poisoning were hospitalized.

Prosecutors are now collecting new information on the number of casualties, estimating the amount of damage caused by the fires.

Recent wildfires in Luhansk region

  • On September 30, there were reports on 146 wildfires in Luhansk region, 82 of them had been extinguished as of the morning of October 1. A large-scale operation is under way to combat 64 wildfires which, as a result of strong winds, quickly spread across 9,300 hectares.
  • The police have already opened seven criminal cases related to the fires. Twenty-two villages and other types of settlements are in jeopardy now.
  • The Joint Forces Operation Headquarters insist that shelling by Russia-controlled forces is the cause behind the large-scale fires. The Stanytsia Luhanska checkpoint had to shut down because of the blaze.