"Snowpocalypse: Communities Struggle to Dig Out as Blizzards Claim Lives and Bury Buildings"

AT least two people have been killed in horror snow drifts after brutal blizzards swept Russia.

Authorities declared an emergency situation on Thursday after a massive snowstorm engulfed Kamchatka, a region in the far east.

Residents work through deep snow which has engulfed their carsCredit: Storyful Rescuers shovel heaps of snow from the roofs of housesCredit: AFP

Shocking images showed huge snow piles reaching up to the second storey of buildings.

People can be seen digging their way through roads as snow blanketed cars on either side.

Two people have been confirmed dead after being buried alive by heaps of snow falling from buildings.

A 60-year-old man was killed by snow that fell from the roof of a two-story apartment building.

The second victim, a 63-year-old man, was buried alive in snow that fell from the roof of a one-story home.

Paramedics arrived at the scene and tried to resuscitate the man, but they were too late, The Moscow Times reported.

Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry shared a video on social media showing rescue workers tunnelling through large snowbanks to reach elderly residents trapped in their homes.

Yevgeny Belyaev, Mayor of the regional capital Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, said on Telegram: “I was recommended to declare the situation, which has led to rooftop avalanches that resulted in two deaths, a local emergency.

“I took that decision.”

The fatal conditions have been caused by several low-pressure storms forming in the Sea of Okhotsk, pushing record snowfall across the east.

In Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and parts of the Yelizovsky district, forecasters warned of freezing temperatures, heavy snow and brutal easterly winds reaching 56-67 miles per hour.

Heavy snow is not uncommon in Kamchatka – a peninsula which stretches down towards Japan – but the unusual intensity of the storm has paralysed the region’s major city.

Life has been brought to a standstill with schools shut, public transport suspended and businesses switched to remote working.

Panicked residents report stores running out of bread, eggs and milk, local media outlet Kamchatka-Inform said.

Regional government head, Yulia Morozova, said the difficulties are “purely logistical” and caused by traffic restrictions.

According to local media Kamchatka Media, he said: “The deliveries are gradually resuming as roads are cleared.”

Meanwhile, authorities have blamed housing management companies for failing to removing piled snow on time, which they say has caused the deaths.

A criminal investigation has been launched into safety violations resulting in death, the regional branch of Russia’s Investigative Committee said.

The horror scenes come just days after .

Shocking footage captured a towering wall of snow hurtling down Mount Elbrus, in the Caucasus mountains, as holidaymakers desperately try to flee.

No deaths were reported, but sections of the mountain and its cable cars were closed by authorities.

Mount Elbrus is Europe’s highest peak – standing at 5,642 meters.

Every year, between 15 to 30 deaths occur on the mountain, often involving unprepared climbers who are caught out by sudden weather changes.

Authorities declared an emergency situation after a massive snowstorm engulfed KamchatkaCredit: AFP Russian rescuers dig houses out from deep snowCredit: AFP