Over 500,000 participate in Moscow Day celebrations

Moscow: Over 500,000 people took part in the festive events in Moscow on Sunday as the Russian capital went into the second day of its 2012 City Day celebrations, the Russian Interior Ministry reported on Monday.

"More than 500,000 people attended festive events, over 300,000 of them in the city centre," the ministry said. "There were no public order violations or other emergency situations," it said, adding that more than 8,000 police officers ensured order on the streets. On the first day of City Day celebrations on Saturday, the city saw over 1.5 million people taking part in festive events. The Russian capital`s territory recently nearly doubled when Moscow incorporated some areas to the southwest of its former boundaries, so residents of the new territories also celebrated City Day. IANS