Snow is currently being cleared away in the Pacific port city of Petropavlovsk Kamchatsky, which is surrounded by high hills and volcanoes, and experts have said more avalanches could occur in the next few days.
A powerful cyclone has been battering the Kamchatka Peninsula for more than 24 hours already, bringing heavy snowstorms and gales that occasionally exceed 40 meters (131 feet) per second on the coast.
City schools were closed and ships confined to the harbor Tuesday. Flights from Moscow and the neighboring regions of Khabarovsk, Sakhalin and Magadan have been cancelled.
Emergency workers warned people against going out or driving in the next few days, and recommended keeping away from windows and leaving them tightly shut.
They also warned that gales could damage power lines and other infrastructure.
