100 houses damaged in avalanches

About 100 houses have been seriously damaged as a result of several avalanches near the settlements of Khindakh and Kolob in Tlyaratinsky district in Dagestan (the Northern Caucasus).

The commander of the republic's anti-avalanche unit, Balabek Gaidarov, said on Thursday that heavy snowfalls in the highland of the Big Caucasian Ridge had resulted in 41 avalanches February 9-17. Fortunately, there were no casualties.

Mr Gaidarov complained that the anti-avalanche unit had not been supplied with special equipment for preventive avalanches. He said that this issue had not been settled either in the republic or on the federal level yet.