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Russia

Russian Federation: Scientist claims deaths from glacier slide were preventable...

In an interview with Ekho Moskvy on 24 September, Nikolai Osokin of the Russian Academy of Sciences' Institute of Geography said the glacier avalanche that occurred in North Ossetia on 20 September (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 23 and 24 September 2002) could not have been prevented, but it might have been predicted and people evacuated in advance. According to Osokin, there has been no monitoring of the country's most dangerous glaciers for many years, although it should be done at least once every five years. During last summer's flooding in the Southern Federal District, some scientists similarly claimed the death toll there might not have been so high had proper maintenance been done to the region's reservoir and dam infrastructure (see "RFE/RL Newsline," 3 July 2002). JAC
...AS DAMAGE ESTIMATED AT 450 MILLION RUBLES

North Ossetian President Aleksandr Dzasokhov told reporters on 24 September that preliminary estimates put the damage caused by the slide at 450 million rubles ($14 million). On the same day, Emergencies Situation Minister Sergei Shoigu told ORT that the chances of finding more survivors are minimal. Between 92 and 113 people are officially missing, according to Interfax. JAC

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