74 towns in Belarus affected by hurricane

Hurricane swept across Belarus on Tuesday, destroying 107 buildings in 74 rural settlements, Emergencies Ministry spokesman Vital Navicky told the Interfax news agency. "The storm destroyed the roofs on 22 houses and 95 agricultural buildings. Because the wires were also blown, 668 villages were temporarily blacked out. The speed of the wind reportedly reached 22 meters per second", Navicky said.

The Vitsebsk and the Minsk regions were affected the most.

Emergencies officials said the power in the affected areas was restored within several hours. The government will offer assistance in repairing the destroyed houses and roofs.