Snow in Altai leaves 25 settlements without electricity

The wet snow in the Altai territory left without electricity the region’s 25 settlements, the local branch of Russia’s EMERCOM told Itar-Tass on Saturday. “Due to the wet snow on the wires and the fallen trees, electricity lines broke in four regions,” the authority said. The repairing is underway. On May 10, a gale cut off electricity supplies to 72 settlements, where about 23,000 live. The supplies are restored now. Winter has returned to the Altai region - it began snowing there. In some parts the green grass is covered by several centimetres of snow. In the Romanov region the white layer is seven centimetres thick. The unusual natural event attracts many people to the streets where they make pictures of the rare “summer- winter” scenes. The drivers, who have already changed their tyres for the summer ones, prefer not to drive today. The forecast says within a day the coming rain will melt off the snow.