Moscow storm: 11 killed, scores injured

A storm sweeping through Moscow has killed 11 people and injured scores more as trees were toppled and debris thrown about.

In this grab taken from video, men stand near to a vehicle crushed by branches from a fallen tree, in a residential area of Moscow, Russia Source: AP

As many 11 people have been killed and scores injured by falling trees and debris from buildings as a storm swept through Moscow, the national Investigation Committee, which is looking into the deaths, says.

Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on his Twitter account on Monday that more than 40 people had asked for medical assistance.

He said hundreds of trees were toppled, as meteorologists reported winds of up to 80km/h.

"The hurricane was unprecedented for Moscow," TASS news agency quoted him as saying.

News agencies reported falling trees had blocked roads and metro railways.

Moscow is usually spared such extreme weather, though high winds are not unusual in the region in the summer months.

The death toll was the highest due to storms in the capital in a single day for almost 20 years. Between eight and 11 people died in storm in the capital in 1998.