At that time of the year when the mercury starts to rise, Russia's winter snowscape starts to melt away and citizens face the potentially deadly threat of the odd rooftop avalanche.
For the most part, municipal workers take care of cleaning the snow off rooftops in order to avoid these scenarios. Last Friday in the Russian town of Usinsk, however, a huge deluge of snow slid off an apartment building’s roof, crushing the shop porches, fences and cars below.
Eyewitness and self-appointed cameraman of the incident Andrey Beloborodov, whose cheese shop is at the bottom of the building, shared the video on social media.
In the video, you can hear Beloborodov's cries of disbelief and shock as the slabs of snow plunge towards the ground. The entrance to his shop suffered the most from the roof avalanches, Beloborodov told Reuters.
Reuters contributed to this article.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.