PHOTOS: Siberian town encased in ice after powerful storm
Images shared on Russian social media sites show vehicles encased in meter-thick ice after water mains burst and froze in temperatures near -40°C
Friday, January 23, 2015, 1:42 PM - People in the Russian town of Dudinka have been without electricity and water since a powerful storm hit the region last week and have taken to social media to share unbelievable images of their frozen community.
According to local media, gusty winds downed power lines and cut off the hot water supply to the town's 22,000 residents on January 14, 2015, prompting officials to declare a state of emergency. As of Wednesday, power had been restored to many schools and municipal buildings, but many homes remained dark.
With overnight low temperatures expected to drop near -40°C this weekend, residents took to social media to share stark images of their frozen town and plead for help using the hashtag, "Dudinka is freezing."
Several images show vehicles encased in meter-thick ice, apparently caused by water mains bursting and then freezing in the extreme cold. Others show massive icicles clinging to the outsides of apartment complexes.
Dudinka is located in Krasnoyarsk Krai, a massive territory in the middle of Siberia that borders the Arctic Ocean. The average daily high temperature in January is -22.7°C, and a record low of -56.7°C has been reported there.
