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Blizzard of the century blankets Moscow, 1.2 mln cubic meters removed

At least 38 centimeters of snow had covered Moscow, which was more than what the entire month of February normally gets

© Anton Novoderezhkin/TASS

MOSCOW, February 5. /TASS/. The heaviest snowfall of the century hit Moscow over the weekend, with a total of 1.2 mln cubic meters of snow having been removed from the city’s streets in the past 24 hours, Moscow Deputy Mayor Pyotr Biryukov told reporters on Monday.

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"Such a huge amount of snow fell for the first time in 100 years… So far, roads have been cleared. We definitely have a lot of snow to remove… In the past 24 hours, 1.2 mln cubic meters of snow has been cleared from the city’s streets, the snow clean-up continues," Biryukov explained.

He said earlier that from Saturday morning to 21:00 Moscow time (18:00 GMT) on Sunday, 38 centimeters of snow had covered Moscow, which was more than what the entire month of February normally gets.

A weather warning has been issued in the Moscow Region for February 4-5 due to heavy snowfall and strong winds.

The recent blizzard caused power outages in 18 municipalities in the Moscow Region. In the capital, a tree that came crashing down and collapsing power lines killed one and injured five people.

Situation in Moscow

The deputy mayor noted that Moscow’s utility services needed time to deal with the blizzard’s aftermath. He added that if the snow clearance went according to plan, it would be completed in nine days.

"We call on motorists to refrain from driving around the city if possible, to make it possible to remove the snow. In addition to clearing roads, snow will also be removed from sidewalks, courtyards and rooftops," Biryukov stressed.

According to media reports, the army’s engineering troops and the Semyonovsky Regiment of the Western Military District have been assisting the authorities in tackling the snowfall clean-up in the capital and in the Moscow region.

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