Record snowfall hits Moscow, downing thousands of trees

Moscow was hit by a blanket of heavy snow on Sunday, causing massive transportation delays and dangerous conditions, Russian officials said.

Freezing rain accompanied by 43 centimeters (17 inches) blanketed the capital within 24 hours. It was the heaviest day of snowfall to hit the Russian capital since the country's weather records began, Russia's meteorological service said.

One man was killed due to dangerous conditions caused by the extreme winter weather and five others have been injured, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said.

"One person died from a falling tree that hit an electric power line," Sobyanin posted on his VKontakte social media page. He warned that strong winds were still to come.

At least 2,000 trees around the city collapsed due to the snow, officials added.

The severe weather also caused massive power outages in hundreds of towns around Moscow.