The move by the authorities in the Republic of Mordovia came just two weeks after 66 people lost their lives in Moscow after the roof of an enclosed market caved in.
A local emergency official said the roof at the Saransk market, which was built more than 20 years ago, could collapse anytime as more snow was forecasted over the next four days.
He said police had cordoned off the building, preventing vendors from entering the market to take their belongings and goods. The official added that several ambulance crews and fire brigades were on standby.
Vadim Gorsky, deputy head of the city's fire control department, said that the evacuation had been ordered after a major crack in a supporting beam had been found during a regular technical inspection Thursday afternoon.
