At least two individuals have lost their lives in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, a city located in Russia’s Far East, due to snow falling from rooftops and burying them, local officials reported on Thursday. The Kamchatka Peninsula is currently experiencing significant disruptions caused by a sequence of intense winter storms.
Since Monday, multiple low-pressure systems emerging from the Sea of Okhotsk have been sweeping across Kamchatka and various regions of the Far East, bringing severe winds and unprecedented snowfall.
Mayor Yevgeny Belyayev of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky declared a citywide emergency shortly after the first fatality was reported on Thursday, a decision aimed at accessing extra resources for emergency snow removal efforts.
Belyayev criticized property management companies for their delayed response to clearing snow from rooftops and accused them of merely waiting for the storm to end.
Following the death of a 60-year-old man struck by falling snow from a two-story apartment building, the local branch of Russia’s Investigative Committee announced it had initiated a criminal investigation into safety breaches that led to this tragedy.
Later on, the region’s Emergency Situations Minister Sergei Lebedev reported that a 63-year-old man had been buried under snow that cascaded from the roof of a single-story house. Paramedics attempted to revive him upon arrival, but unfortunately, it was too late, Lebedev stated.
“I want to remind everyone to be cautious of the significant snow accumulations on rooftops during this cyclone,” the minister emphasized in a statement. “With rising temperatures, the snow is starting to come down from the roofs.”
Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry circulated a video on social media displaying rescue workers digging through deep snowdrifts to assist elderly residents trapped in their homes.
Everyday life in Kamchatka has come nearly to a halt due to several days of heavy snowfall and powerful winds. Schools are closed, and public transportation has been suspended in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, where neighborhoods are heavily covered in snow.
A resident shared videos with The Moscow Times, showing snow piled up to the second floor of apartment buildings, with locals collaborating to clear the snow obstructing building entrances.
Meteorologists have issued warnings for extreme winter weather in Kamchatka, predicting heavy, wet snow along with blizzard-like conditions and strong winds from Wednesday night into Thursday.
In Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and parts of the Yelizovsky district, forecasters indicated that severe snowfall, reduced visibility, and dangerous ice formation from the wet snow are likely, with easterly winds reaching 25-30 meters per second (56-67 miles per hour).
Temperatures are forecasted to be around freezing, between 0 and 2 degrees Celsius (32-36 degrees Fahrenheit), with icy roads, blowing snow, and perilous travel conditions prevailing throughout the region.
