Storm devastates region in Russia’s Far East (VIDEO)
A massive storm hit Kamchatka Region in Russia’s Far East on Friday, with high waves from the Bering Sea and the Sea of Okhotsk unleashing sea ice upon several coastal towns, themselves already submerged in snow, videos taken in the area have shown.
The settlements of Ossora, Karaga, and Ivashka have been flooded, regional governor Vladimir Solodov said in a Telegram post, adding that another town, Vyvenka, suffered a blackout because of the storm.
Local authorities also had to close down a section of a highway in the south of the Kamchatka peninsula because of the natural disaster. The storm is expected to continue raging in the region until at least Saturday night, Russian media outlets report.
Footage published by the locals on Telegram showed sea water flooding streets and yards in the towns, bringing piles of ice and snow with them and turning the area into icy wasteland. Locals can be seen walking knee-deep in show and icy water in attempts to reach a boat lying in one of the yards.
Another clip showed a coastal road fully submerged underwater. The waves were apparently so powerful, they washed several small ships ashore near a flooded road, footage shows. Massive waves can also be seen still hitting the road while a passenger car is trying to drive along it.
Some other videos published by the Shot Telegram channel displayed the waves turning the streets of some local towns into rivers and covering houses and the nearby area in ice.
According to local officials, the storm has not led to any casualties. There have also been no reports on the exact extent of the material damage caused by the disaster.
Last month, the Crimean Peninsula and the Russian eastern Black Sea coast were hit by what was described as the “worst storm” in the history of those regions.
It led to tsunami-like waves in the Russian southern city of Sochi and led to the collapse of a local railway road and at least one low-story building. Two people died in the storm and more than a dozen were injured.
