Deadly avalanche strikes ski resort in the world’s northernmost city of Norilsk, Russia
Image credit: EMERCOM
Three family members were killed by an avalanche in the world's northernmost city of Norilsk, Russia on Friday, January 8, 2021.
The avalanche struck the Otdelnaya Gora ski resort in northern Russia late Friday (LT), the authorities confirmed early Saturday morning.
Between 4 and 6 huts at the ski resort were buried by the snow, prompting a rescue operation involving more than 200 people and 29 vehicles.
Rescuers said all of the missing people have been found by Saturday morning, adding that they have recovered the bodies of a 45-year-old man, his 38-year-old wife, and their 18-month-old child. Their 14-year-old son was found alive and taken to the hospital with serious injuries, including frostbite.
Two people made their own way to safety.
Breaking! Avalanche hit the ski resort near Norilsk an hour ago. Two people have been rescued. pic.twitter.com/U0V1h0cnjs
— Kirill Bakanov (@WeatherSarov1) January 8, 2021
— Kirill Bakanov (@WeatherSarov1) January 8, 2021
"The area of the avalanche is about 500 – 600 m2 (5 400 – 6 500 feet2). The thickness of the snow cover is 3 m (10 feet) on average. We dug up 10 – 15% of the covered area," Igor Shatalov, Chairman of the board of the company that manages the private tourist base, told TASS on Saturday.
Shatalov said the night work was complicated by a blizzard, which stopped by Saturday morning. He added that in the area of the campsite the temperature is about -25 °C (-13 °F), which lessens the chances of finding people alive under the snow slide.
According to volunteer rescuer Maxim Inikhow, all of the buildings were unoccupied at the time of the avalanche except one.
"We have a very strong blizzard so there were very few people vacationing today at the ski resort," Inikhov said.
The emergency services have warned that there is a threat of further avalanches in the area.
According to TASS, the Investigative Department of Russia’s Investigative Committee for the Krasnoyarsk region and the republic of Khakassia has initiated a criminal case on the provision of services that do not meet safety requirements.
Teo Blašković founded The Watchers in 2011 and edited it until 2026, covering seismic and volcanic activity, extreme weather, space weather and near-Earth objects. Articles on this page are his archive.
Published in the last 24 hours
- 10 named storms, one hurricane for the first time since 1925: Why has the Atlantic been so quiet in 2026 Epicenter
- Amazon fire hotspots rise 82.6% in October 2026 as El Niño intensifies Epicenter
- In 2005, a driver near Russia's Chulyshman River picked up a stone to wedge under his car wheel and kept it for 20 years; the Meteoritical Bulletin has now approved it as the Altai Republic's first meteorite. Epicenter
- The Leonid meteor shower peaks on the night of November 17, exactly 60 years after the 1966 storm, when some observers reported meteors falling at up to 40 a second, though this year’s show should be closer to 15 an hour
