A shocking scenario unfolded in several remote Russian villages this week, prompting officials to launch an investigation into the mystery. Hundreds of thousands of flies descended onto villages across the Ural mountain region of Russia this week. The vast swarms have sparked panic among villages, amid fears that the flies could spread disease to the human inhabitants.
Bizarre images from the region showed thick clouds of flies crawling and buzzing through the village.
Residents described the local scene as “a horror film” and a “biblical plague”.
To the frustration of locals, all efforts by officials to end the fly invasion have failed so far.
Resident Elena Karpova in Lazorevy told state television: “You can’t hang out your washing to dry or open your windows, let alone go outside.”
Another local, who was sweeping up dead flies from his floor, told reporters: “Every day or two there’s enough to fill a bucket, half a bucket.”
A woman with a child said: “It’s unbearable, the flies are everywhere.
“I’m afraid for my children. We need to poison the flies constantly with chemicals, but then we all have to breath that air. It’s frightening.”
Russian officials have launched an investigation into the influx of flies, as they try to solve and put an end to the horror.
Residents of the village have been trapped in their houses since the invasion began.
Several locals blamed farmers for the plague, claiming they had used tonnes of chicken droppings from a local poultry farm as fertiliser, in which flies laid millions of eggs.
Investigators confirmed they had opened a criminal investigation into the unsanctioned use of “environmentally hazardous waste”.