Heavy snowfall hits Moscow as Russian media report disruption on roads and at airports

MOSCOW (AP) — Heavy snowfall has hit the Russian capital, disrupting traffic on roads and flights in and out of three Moscow airports, officials and media reported on Monday.

The snowfall that began Sunday and continued overnight has brought an additional 23 centimeters (nine inches) to already high levels of snow in Moscow, according to deputy mayor Pyotr Biryukov. About 135,000 people and 18,000 pieces of equipment were involved in the snow-clearing effort.

Nearly 200 trucks got stuck in the snow over the past 24 hours, and required assistance from road traffic workers, the Moscow transport department reported.

A total of 53 flights were delayed and five more were canceled on Monday morning in three out of four Moscow airports, Russian business daily Vedomosti reported. Most of the delays occurred at the Sheremetyevo airport north of the capital. The two airports to the south, Domodedovo and Vnukovo, also experienced delays, the report said. At the Zhukovsky airport southeast of the city, flights were departing from Moscow on schedule, according to Vedomosti.

Heavy snow, as well as temperatures below -50 C (-58 F), were also reported in the Siberian region of Yakutia. In the neighboring region of Magadan, similar temperatures were expected in the coming days.