Epic storm lashes Barnaul, with crane crashing on to city’s main wedding palace

These dramatic pictures captured a powerful - and sudden - storm that engulfed the Siberian city late on Saturday. 

It left the city almost totally without electricity and caused water supply shortages. 

Traffic lights failed, and trees, fences, billboards smashed.

A video shows a crane on Lenin Avenue toppling over in the high winds. People had shouted to the operator - called Andrey, 50, to get out. 

With the crane swaying in the storm, he remained at his post and manoeuvred a huge load away from busy Lenin Avenue saving pedestrians and drivers. 

Then the crane itself crashed onto the nearby wedding palace and two cars. 

Rescuers pulled the crane operator from his cabin but he died in the ambulance on the way to hospital.

Remarkably, thanks to his action there were no injuries. 

In the Ob River, floating restaurant Baracuda with 120 on board was carried away downstream.

One diner said: 'First, the wind pulled us to the shore. 

'Then we were carried to the bridge ... hitting a bridge support.’

Later the floating restaurant ran aground and people were evacuated by the emergency services. 

Diners and staff had only minor injuries, mainly cuts from smashed windows.