In a report carried by the Ria Novosti news agency the ministry said that the children were electrocuted when they trod on a power cable that had been brought down by the storm, while a fisherman died after being struck by lightning.

The storm, which caused major damage to the region's electricity network, also left two hospitals, two pumping stations and almost 200 homes without power, the agency said.

Astrakhan is a city on the River Volga, not far from the northwestern shores of the Caspian Sea.

TERRA.WIRE