Death toll rises as Russia battles wildfires

The death toll from the worst summer wildfires to hit Russia in a generation has risen to 34 on Monday.

RUSSIA: Russia continues to battle the worst summer wildfires in a generation as the death toll from the blaze reaches 34 on Monday.

The latest figures were revealed by Vladimir Stepanov, the head of the National Centre for Crisis Management at the emergencies ministry.

Hundreds of thousands of workers have been deployed along with 2,000 members of the armed forces to fight the fires.

President Dmitry Medvedev has described the disaster as the kind that "happens every 30 or 40 years."

Around 316,000 acres of land is on fire, with the worst hit areas including regions around Moscow and the city of Nizhny Novgorod.