Moscow, Russia (CNN) -- The mortality rate in Moscow, Russia, has "doubled recently" because of an extended streak of heat and smog, Andrei Seltsovsky, the head of the city health department, told Russian news agencies Monday.
Seltsovsky said that the average daily mortality rate in Moscow is 360 to 380 cases, but "today the rate is around 700."
Out of 1,500 slots in city morgues, 1,300 were occupied, he added.
The death toll directly attributed to the country's recent spate of wildfires remained at 52, the Russian Health and Social Development Ministry said on its website Monday. Another 62 people across Russia were in hospitals with wildfire-related ailments, and in all, 741 people had sought wildfire-related medical assistance, it said.
The ministry said 22 out of the country's 83 regions, mostly in central Russia, are affected by wildfires. And no relief is in sight, with temperatures forecast to remain high in central and northwestern Russia through August 20.
The Russian meteorological service Roshydromet said on its website Monday that the level of air pollution will remain high in and around Moscow in the coming days. CNN
