A fallen tree crushed two people to death in their car, in the Russian city of Novokuznetsk, TASS news agency quoted a regional official. The third victim was killed in Altai Krai, the regional emergencies ministry said in a statement, adding that three people were hurt.

Sergei Kuznetsov, the head of Novokuznetsk, said an emergency had been declared in the city after strong winds damaged electricity lines and buildings, adding that local schools and kindergartens would not open tomorrow. The neighbouring city of Prokopievsk also entered a state of emergency, its head said.

A large sign fell on a woman near a shopping centre in Novokuznetsk, a video on social media showed. According to a local official, cited by RIA Novosti, the woman was hospitalised. Kuznetsov said six people in total were injured in the city.

Russian media said winds caused damage in Kemerovo, Krasnoyarsk, Novosibirsk, and Omsk regions, Altai Krai, the Republic of Altai, and the Republic of Khakasia.

A Siberian branch of power company Rosseti said 294 settlements in Siberia had been left without electricity as of 1230 GMT.