Record snowfall engulfs Kamchatka buildings to fourth floor

Monday 19 January 2026 - 09:36

By: Dakir Madiha

Record snowfall engulfs Kamchatka buildings to fourth floor

A ferocious winter storm has blanketed Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula in unprecedented snow, burying high-rise buildings up to the fourth floor and paralyzing daily life. In Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the regional capital, massive accumulations have led to at least two fatalities when heavy snow slid from rooftops, trapping residents beneath it. The crisis prompted Mayor Yevgeny Belyayev to declare a state of emergency, mobilizing extra resources for urgent snow clearance and rescue operations.

Videos circulating online capture the scale of the disaster, including children playfully sliding down towering snowdrifts and structures almost entirely submerged in white. Rescue teams from Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations have been captured digging through meters-deep snow to reach elderly people confined in their homes. One victim, a 63-year-old man, perished under snow collapsing from a one-story house roof despite rescue efforts, according to Kamchatka's Emergency Situations Minister Sergei Lebedev.

Public transportation has ground to a halt, schools remain closed, and authorities warn of ongoing risks as warming temperatures cause unstable snow masses to shift. Belyayev criticized property managers for delaying rooftop clearances, insisting they should have acted sooner amid the relentless storm. Lebedev echoed the caution, urging residents to stay vigilant around building edges where snow buildup poses the greatest threat.