Moscow is slowly thawing out from its heaviest snowfall in 40 years, in a harsh winter that caused the deaths of 205 people.
Now people are facing a new hazard: falling icicles. Three people have been killed by falling icicles this winter, and the city?s pavements have turned into a huge network of ice rinks. Many are closed off by police tape and the government has put up signs warning about the icicle hazard.
These are no ordinary icicles?they can reach several feet in length and when they descend from tall buildings, they are like daggers falling to earth. 74 people have been struck by them so far this winter. An 18-year old soldier was killed by falling ice at his military base.
Amateur mountaineers have been climbing the roofs of Moscow and knocking the icicles safely to the ground. An army of 25,000 men are working to clear the streets of snow.
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