Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky

A powerful snowstorm battered Russia’s Far East Kamchatka Peninsula, grounding flights, stranding motorists, and triggering avalanche warnings in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

The appeal was sent to president Putin on 30 October on behalf of Moscow and St Petersburg surfing federations, pointing his attention to the fact that traces of rocket fuel were found in samples from the polluted area. It means that the anthropogenic version of the recent environmental catastrophe mustn’t be brushed aside, the surfers say.

The event caused a die off of up to 95% of marine life along the seabed. The Russia's Academy of Sciences announced that the mass death was due to the effects of toxins from single-cell algae. Environmentalists are conducting their own inquiries and were not yet able to confirm the official probe's findings.

Environmental campaigners said they were conducting their own inquiries and were not yet able to confirm the official probe's findings.

Now believed to be caused by an unprecedented algae bloom, the decimation of bottom-dwelling sea life may have devastating ripple effects.

A broad area of yellow foam is prompting some marine biologists to blame the catastrophe on a harmful algae. However, Governor Vladimir Solodov believes the most likely explanation is a spill. Tests have shown petroleum levels four times higher and phenol levels 2.5 times above normal.

Injured surfers and large number of dead sea creatures reported in Kamchatka region. Some experts have suggested highly toxic rocket fuel could have leaked into the sea. The first test site, Radygino, is about six miles (10km) from the sea.

Khalaktyrsky Beach near Petropavlovsk is littered with hundreds of dead sea animals, from deep-sea Giant Pacific octopuses, to seals, sea urchins, stars, crabs and fish. Surfers were the first to raise alarm after problems with eyesight, fevers and throat aches.

The unusual swimmer stunned fishermen who said they have never seen bears venturing so far out to sea.

Sea lions have been pushed to come closer town because of marine pollution and over fishing, and now they are eating the scraps from the fish processing plant.

Employees of the Kronotsky Reserve have published the results of a large-scale summer expedition to collect and classify garbage on the coast of the South Kamchatka Federal Reserve. The main pollutants that threaten the lives of marine and coastal animals are identified.