MOSCOW, March 24 (RIA Novosti) – Thousands of snow removal machines have been sent out on the streets in Moscow after an unprecedented snowstorm, which has caused a state of emergency in Ukraine’s Kiev, hit the Russian capital.
More than 15,000 units of specialized vehicles and 36,000 yard-keepers are currently involved in the snow clean-up on the roads, a spokesman for Moscow’s housing and public utilities department said on Sunday.
The clean-up crews are on high alert as meteorologists warn that the heavy snowfall, which is totally abnormal for March, could continue on Monday, the spokesman said.
Moscow and the Moscow region could see more than 15 centimeters of snow on Sunday, with temperatures expected to fall to minus 11 degrees Celsius.
Russia’s aviation watchdog Rosaviatsia said on Sunday the heavy snowfall has not hampered the operation of Moscow’s airports, which continue working in a normal regime.
In Kiev, which has been crippled by the heavy snow since Friday, authorities declared Monday an official day off. The snowfall has caused cancellation and delays in air and railway traffic in the Ukrainian capital.