‘Snow apocalypse’: Record snowfall buries buildings, towns in Russia’s Kamchatka – WATCH

A ‘snow apocalypse’ has hit Russia’s Kamchatka, as the locals are describing it, after record snowfall buries towns. Following a massive snowstorm, authorities earlier this week declared an emergency situation in the region. Meanwhile, officials said that two people have died in Russia’s Far East from snow falling from the roofs of buildings.

Several videos and images went viral on social media showing snow reaching the second floors of high-rise apartments as people dug their way through the roads. Meanwhile, cars and other vehicles remained buried on roads, with a thick blanket of snow over them.

While heavy snow is not uncommon in the region of Kamchatka, a peninsula in Russia’s Far East that stretches down towards Japan, the unusual intensity of the storm has paralysed the region’s major city with relentless snowfall.

“I was recommended to declare the situation, which has led to rooftop avalanches that resulted in two deaths, a local emergency. I took that decision,” Yevgeny Belyaev, the mayor of the regional capital Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, said on Telegram.

Meanwhile, the authorities have shut down schools and businesses as the city is forced to switch to remote working due to a massive amount of snow on the roads. Local media outlet Kamchatka-Inform reported that residents were complaining after local stores were running out of essentials like bread, milk and eggs.

“The difficulties arising are purely logistical in nature and stem from travel restrictions. The deliveries are gradually resuming as roads are cleared,” said the regional government head, Yulia Morozova, as cited by local website Kamchatka Media.

Russian authorities have blamed housing management companies for not removing the piled snow and ice from rooftops promptly, saying that has led to the deaths.