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Russian authorities have opened an investigation into the deaths of two children during a severe hailstorm in Siberia.

The Investigative Committee said in a statement published online Monday that two young girls aged 3 and 4 had died Saturday in the lakeside town of Bredsk, not far from the large Siberian city of Novosibirsk. The two girls died after sustaining traumatic brain injuries when a tree fell on their tent, where they were taking shelter from the storm along with their families.

Videos have surfaced online showing beach-goers in Novosibirsk huddling desperately under umbrellas, as cherry-sized hailstones pelt them mercilessly. Weather has been unusually extreme across much of Russia this summer, with snow hitting parts of central Russia that rarely see freezing temperatures in summer.

Source: Associated Press