YUZHNO-SAKHALINSK, February 22 (RIA Novosti) - A blanket of yellowish snow has covered a town on Russia's oil-rich Far East island of Sakhalin, off the Pacific coast, local emergencies officials said Wednesday.
Samples of the snow, which has a strong odor and an oily texture, have been sent to a chemical laboratory for tests, the officials said. It may be a result of the environmental pollution caused by the island's oil and natural gas industry.