Moscow Metro Kills 200 People Every Year

Six people died of acute heart failure in the Moscow Metro during the recent 12 days. Doctors say that the people died because of heat. The majority of the deceased are elderly people, but there is a 31-year-old man among them too.

Photo: Moscow Metro Kills 200 People Every Year

The first fatal incident occurred in the morning of July 9 at Rimskaya Station, Life.ru reports. A 74-year-old male Muscovite collapsed on the platform as a result of a heart attack. A 31-year-old man died of the same reason the same day at another metro station.

On July 14, when the temperature in the metro hit 35-36 degrees Centigrade, a 63-year-old man died at Universitet Station. A 63-year-old woman died at Ryazansky Prospekt Station over cardiac arrest four days later. Two males died in the Moscow metro on July 21.

Doctors say that all the people died because of heat. If the outside temperature in the city rises to +25 degrees, the temperature in the metro may often reach +35-37C.

Heat and sultry air may trigger a heart attack with those suffering from cardiovascular diseases. The heart starts beating two or three times faster once there is not enough oxygen. If there is a damaged blood vessel, ischemia may occur, which may trigger a heart failure.

It is not only passengers, but train drivers, who suffer from overwhelming heat in the Moscow Metro. A 42-year-old train driver lost consciousness while driving the train on July 14. When the man recovered, he said that it was too stuffy in the driver’s cabin. Luckily, the incident ended without any consequences – the driver’s assistant stopped the train.

Over 70 people died in the Moscow Metro last year because of heart failures. The administration of the metro does not conceal the reasons of the sad statistics: sultry air, the pressure differential and excessive passenger traffic. The Moscow Metro transports about 9 million people daily instead of the norm – 6 million passengers a day. The situation reaches a critical point during summer time. There are medical stations in the metro, but they work strictly on schedule.

Up to 150 people fall down on railway tracks in the Moscow Metro every year. A half of these fatal incidents is connected with attempts to commit suicide.