Putin vows to rebuild homes destroyed by Siberian fires - by 1 September this year

The Russian president Vladimir Putin promised to rebuild destroyed homes by 1 September, an ambitious target after horrific scenes in southern Siberia in recent days.

But the scale of the crisis was emerging last night amid fears of looting in local settlements. The death toll rose to 30 with two people missing. 

Some 6,000 have been made homeless in Khakassia. Around 1,000 needed medical treatment with 800 kept in hospital. Some 1,300 homes were razed, along with 5,000 sheep and cattle. 

'In Khakassia and Trans-Baikal region as a rule we speak about complete loss of property, because there everything burned down,' said Putin in the marathon TV show.

Tearful Nadezhda Makarova, Vershino-Bidzha village, Khakassia asked: 'In our village eight houses were burned down. We have a question: will there be any help to us? Because people do not have anything, it is very hard for them now... (cries and covers the face with hand) We are waiting help from you...' 

Putin outlines the compensation that could be expected from the state. He also vowed to help workers at Vostochny cosmodrome  who complain of payment delays. 

The village of Shira was blitzed with 420 homes hit by flames. Facebook user Andrey Baranyuk reported: 'This is now just a God forgotten village got burnt in the middle of this taiga. 

'This is actually a district centre of Shira with 10,000 people living there. According to the regional administration head, 2,300 people suffered from fires, so nearly every fourth person was touched by the fires.'

On April 15 three looters were arrested in this settlement. A local police source said: 'Even during a fire, looters tried to assign things that owners in panic had dragged from their blazing homes. 

'And when the fire began to subside under the guise of kinship and friendship ties with the victims, looters were collected in carts and trailers, charred pipes, bicycles, radiators  and other 'valuable' things in order to pass them to the metal collection points and get money.'