Icecream sales skyrocket following Moscow's heat wave

Moscow, May 30 (UNI) Sales of icecream in Moscow have skyrocketed following the continuing heat wave which has broken several records this month.

In order to keep themselves cool, Muscovites are consuming about 200 tonnes of icecream each day.

"Ice cream makers have been unable to deliver enough ice cream," the Russian Icecream Union head Valery Yelhov told RIA Novosti news agency.

Yelhov said between 150 to 200 metric tonnes was being sold daily in the Russian capital, adding sales have increased up to 60 per cent in the last few days.

Icecream makers have been running out of ingredients and have had to dip into their reserves. Icecream production has increased 20-25 per cent compared to the same period last year.

Monday and yesterday, both saw hundred-year-old temperature records being broken and the hot weather seems set to stay put for the next few days.

A high of 33 to 35 degrees Celsius is predicted for today, but the temperature is expected to drop to 25 degrees Celsius by Sunday, the Federal Weather Bureau said.

The temperature hit 32.2 degrees Celsius yesterday, a record for May 29 not matched since 1891, Irina Smetanina, a spokesperson for the Federal Weather Bureau said. The heat wave reached Moscow from Central Asia on May 23.

It is the first May since 1879 that Moscow has seen a five-day spell of temperature over 30 degrees Celsius.

Twelve people drowned last week in Moscow's water ponds, compared with just one in the same period last year, emergency response officials said.

At least 26 people have drowned in Moscow's water ponds since the beginning of this month, they said. ''Alcohol usually plays a role in drownings,'' they added.

Last week, 48 people were rescued while swimming, compared with seven last year.

Russia's top doctor, Gennady Onishchenko, advised Moscow residents not to work too hard.

''It would be a good idea to work in an air-conditioned place during the peak heat hours and to take extra hours to rest,'' Interfax news agency quoted Onishchenko.

UNI