Pollution turns snow BLACK in Russia, with local coal plants blamed for ‘hellish’ scenes Pristine white of snow-covered Siberia covered in layer of thick black dirty soot Images from picturesque region of Russia shows black cars, fields and building Worried residents likened scene to the 'snow in hell' and wrote 'help' messagesBy Will Stewart In Moscow for MailOnline Published: 14:20 GMT, 15 February 2019 | Updated: 14:20 GMT, 15 February 2019 Viewcomments The picturesque snowscapes of Siberia have been turned an eerie black from pollution. Alarming pictures from the snow-covered region of Russia show how the pristine white snow has been covered in a dirty, thick layer of black soot. Pollution from coal plants in the industrial region of Kemerovo has been blamed for the ghostly phenomenon blighting the landscape. The cities of Prokopyevsk and Leninsk-Kuznetsky plus the town of Kiselyovsk have been affected. Worried residents likened the scene to the 'snow in hell' while other scrawled SOS messages in the grimy covering. The city of Prokopyevsk has seen streets and buildings covered in a thick layer of black soot Children in Kiselevsk, Siberia, walking through the blackened parks after the snow became covered in coal pollution Buildings and statues in Prokopyevsk have also been covered in the creepy black snow One picture posted online shows children playing in the black snow that has caked roads, parks, vehicles, buildings and statues in the area. Local media in Russia blame local coal processing plants, and highlighted how parked cars were caked with a thick lawyer of black grime. One comment on the morbid scene from a worried local read: 'Is this what snow looks like in hell?' A picture posted online shows the Russian word 'ПОМОГИТЕ' - or 'help us' - written in the filthy snow. But others say there is a perverted 'beauty' in the spooky gloom. Kemerovo is famous both as Russia's leading coalmining region but also as home to Siberia's best ski slopes, famed for an annual swimwear piste run. Fields roads and parks have been blighted by the dirty covering of snow from nearby coal plants A local resident even wrote the Russian word 'ПОМОГИТЕ' - or 'help us' - in the filthy snow So far the colourful slopes of resort Sheregesh have not been tarnished by the pollution hitting residents elsewhere in the region. State prosecutors are now examining whether to bring criminal prosecutions for pollution. One local coal processing plant - called Prokopyevskaya - has accepted some responsibility. Boss Anatoly Volkov told Vesti-Kuzbass TV channel that a shield to protect the air from coal power had stopped working. Deputy governor of Kemerovo region Andrei Panov, who is in charge of ecology, is to meet local environmentalists to discuss the matter and also blames coal boilers and car exhausts as well as factories. There has been a strong reaction from locals on social media. Residents have pointed the finger at other plants too, alleging there is a long-term lack of environmental protection in an region that's lifeblood is coal, reported The Siberian Times. 'No cleansing systems, all the waste, dust and dirt, coal lay in the area. Our children and us are breathing it. It's just a nightmare,' a local said. Another commented: 'The government bans smoking in public. But let us inhale coal dust all together and let it reside in our lungs.' One resident added: 'The future of our children is terrifying.' Read more: Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site dailymail and under his responsibility