Six weeks of snow hits Vladivostok in two days

Our pictures show the huge snowfall in Vladivostok, Russia's Pacific capital, which was far from being the worst-hit on the country's east coast. Residents came onto the streets to assist in clearing the colossal snow fall.

As we report elsewhere, a fisherman was lost on the frozen sea, after losing his way back to the shore after the massive snow fall. 

In southern and western districts of Primorsky region there were falls of snow the like of which residents usually only see in two months. Khasan district has three months-worth of snow in two days. 

As a result Khasan, the most southerly settlement in the Russian Far East, with the populate of 660, was cut off from the outside world. 

The region is used to cold winters and heavy snow falls. But this year, the temperature plunged to minus 18C with wind gusts of 25 metres per second, significantly worse than the norm.

'Our weather is changing,' said one Far East resident. 'In summer floods, and in winter these huge snow falls. Where will it end?'

Where indeed?