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Cold claims more lives in Europe, snow covers south
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-01-26 14:12
Freezing weather has killed scores of people in eastern Europe and snowstorms
forced the closure of the Acropolis in Athens and blanketed parts of Sicily and
Turkey on Wednesday as the Arctic air pushed south.
Ukraine said 66 people had died there since the freeze set in last week.
Neighbouring Russia has asked it to restrict gas usage as demand has rocketed
during the coldest winter in a generation in the region.
The Romanian Health Ministry said extremely low temperatures in the country
had caused 27 deaths in the past three days.
In a statement it said the victims, ranging in age between 33 and 86, died of
heart attacks and hypothermia caused by temperatures of about minus 20 Celsius
(minus 4 Fahrenheit). Seven of them were homeless.
A man walks past the tents provided to
homeless persons on a sidewalk near the Centre Pompidou modern art museum
in Paris January 25, 2006. [Reuters] | Ten people
froze to death or died of burns while trying to keep warm in the Czech Republic
in recent days after temperatures fell below minus 30 C (minus 22 F), media
said.
Police said another 14 people have died of exposure in Poland over the past
24 hours.
The bitter cold has spread to the far south of Europe, regions which normally
enjoy milder winters.
In Greece, more than 400 villages and towns were cut off after 36 hours of
continuous snowfall and hundreds of snow-clearing vehicles struggled to keep
main routes open.
Ports across the country stayed shut as icy gale-force winds swept across the
Aegean, casting a carpet of snow over the islands.
A dog passes by seats and tables covered by
the snow on the sea-front of Sevastopol, Crimea, as temperatures reached -
20 C in this Black Sea harbour.[AFP] | A Cambodia-flagged cargo ship sank in the northern Aegean amid a snowstorm on
Tuesday, the Merchant Marine Ministry said. All but two of the 16 mainly Turkish
crew were rescued by the coastguard and rescuers were searching for the missing.
Athenians also enjoyed the rare sight of the Acropolis under a covering of
snow. One of the world's most visited monuments, its marble temples were closed
to the public for a second day.
In Turkey, Education Minister Huseyin Celik said the country's schools, due
to resume classes after a mid-year break next week, would remain closed until
February 6 because of the freezing weather.
Much of Turkey, including Ankara and Istanbul, was covered in snow while
shipping was halted on the Bosphorus because of hazardous conditions.
Bulgarian officials said the country's two main ports of Varna and Bourgas on
the Black Sea had been closed because of high winds and heavy seas.
Bulgarian media reported that three people had died of exposure since the
cold spell began on Tuesday, with temperatures falling to between minus 10 C and
minus 20 C (14 F and minus 4 F).
Italy was also suffering from the cold snap, with the thermometer falling to
minus 35 C (minus 31 F) in mountains in the northeast. At the other end of the
country, heavy snow swept parts of the Mediterranean island of Sicily early on
Wednesday.
Newspapers reported that two people died of exposure near Imola in the north
of the country, while cities around Italy opened metro stations and railway
waiting rooms overnight to provide shelter for the homeless.
The harsh winter has led to a surge in demand for gas as Italians try to keep
their homes warm, forcing the government to introduce emergency measures to
preserve dwindling gas stocks.
The famous canals in the Dutch city of Amsterdam froze briefly and television
news showed footage of commuters on bicycles skidding on black ice, which also
caused hundreds of car accidents, ANP news agency reported.
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