Heavy snow storm buries Russian island

The island of Sakhalin in far eastern Russia, has been almost completely buried beneath huge snowdrifts, bringing normal life to a standstill. A state of emergency has also been declared due to an approaching cyclone. Some residents are attempting to carry on with their lives, digging tunnels through walls of snow just to leave their homes. Others remain trapped indoors, the view from the windows replaced with tightly packed snow up to the roof. Unsurprisingly, normal services have been brought to a halt. Public transport isn’t in operation, flights have been canceled, schools are closed, and residents have been encouraged to work from home wherever possible.