Authorities in Russia have opened an investigation into a street party that saw dozens gather in the centre of Novosibirsk despite an anti-coronavirus lockdown in the Siberian city, according to AFP.

The local investigative committee said it was launching the probe after photos and videos were posted online of young Russians dancing as music played from loudspeakers in the city's central Lenin Square in the night of Saturday to Sunday.

The committee said more than 300 people may have joined the street party in the city of 1.5 million — Russia's third largest — under lockdown to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.