Icon: enlarge
Children on Red Square
Photo:
Valery Sharifulin / action press
After hours of heavy snowfall and storms, the Russian capital Moscow is heading for a record blanket of snow.
On Saturday morning there was already 56 centimeters of snow on the streets of Europe's largest metropolis - more than in almost eight years, reported the Fobos weather service.
According to the weather service, it is quite possible that the previous record of a 60 centimeter high snow cover, which was registered in 1956, will be broken in the coming days.
In just over a day, 75 percent of the average February snowfall came from the sky.
Icon: enlarge
Komsomolskaya Square in Moscow on Saturday: For those who are not voluntarily traveling, the snow masses are not pure joy
Photo: MAXIM SHIPENKOV / EPA-EFE / Shutterstock
The enormous amounts of snow are dangerous: In and around Moscow, the disaster control reported that several building roofs had sunk due to the heavy snow masses.
A person was found dead from a destroyed hall, reported the Interfax agency, citing the authority.
Previously, helpers had been able to save two other people buried there alive.
At the city's three airports, more than 130 flights were delayed and more than 20 canceled by early evening.
Numerous traffic jams formed on the roads.
The Moscow Transport Authority temporarily increased public transport.
In the past few days, Moscow's winter service had shoveled more than a million cubic meters of snow from the streets, said Deputy Mayor Pyotr Biryukov.
Now 12,000 additional workers have been requested.
Icon: The mirror
fdi / dpa