Record Snowfall Swallows Apartments, State of Emergency Declared... City Paralyzed in This Country

Snowfall Buries Kamchatka Up to Apartment Heights
Authorities Declare State of Emergency Across the City

A heavy snowfall, the first in decades, has covered the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia's Far East. Photo by X Capture

A record-breaking snowfall has paralyzed the entire city on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia's Far East.

According to the Moscow Times on January 20, a powerful snowstorm has been hitting Kamchatka since January 13, resulting in more than two meters of snow falling in a single day and burying major buildings and roads under the snow. All infrastructure has been trapped by the snow, rendering the city virtually inoperative.

There have also been casualties due to the heavy snow. On January 15, two people, including a 63-year-old man, were buried and killed by a pile of snow that fell from the roof of a two-story apartment. Vera Polyakova, head of the Kamchatka Hydrometeorological Center, explained, "The last time we saw such an extreme snowfall was in the early 1970s. This is an extremely rare event."

A heavy snowfall, the first in decades, has covered the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia's Far East. Photo by X Capture

Snow has piled up to the height of the 10th floor of high-rise apartments, burying apartment complexes or transforming them into something resembling ski resorts. On social media, children were seen sledding down snow-covered slopes that had formed like mountains in the apartment complexes. Videos were also shared of residents opening their balcony doors to retrieve wine stored in the snow.

International social media users reacted with amazement, asking, "Is this real or an AI-generated video?" "That's an incredible amount of snow," and "How do people even live there?"

In response to the record snowfall, city authorities have declared a state of emergency across the city. As a result, air and public transportation services have been disrupted. Authorities have asked residents to keep children indoors, and classes at schools and universities have been canceled or moved online. Many businesses have also switched to remote work.