Cold wave in Europe: at least 60 deaths, disruptions continue

Written by Sandeep Nehra

The early cold spell that has plagued a week in Europe was at least sixty dead and continued to disrupt transportation on Friday, despite an improvement in some areas.

In central Europe, the cold has killed 17 people in 24 hours, bringing to 45 the death toll this week, plus eleven dead in Russia, one in Germany and three in France, local authorities said.

In Poland, the victims are mainly men aged 35-60 years, homeless, often under the influence of alcohol. Faced with the difficulties of traffic, road and rail authorities have mobilized some 3,000 prisoners armed with shovels, ready to clear snow and ice.

On Friday, temperatures recorded at Braemer in Scotland (-20 ° C) competed with those of Moscow (-24 ° C) and British Transport were still disrupted by frost and snow, and closed schools (over 2,000 in England ).

However, Gatwick airport south of London, second in the country, has reopened after two days of closure, a hundred employees who spent the night to clear the tracks.

The major UK airport, London Heathrow suffered cancellations and delays at airports as London City, Luton and Glasgow (Scotland) or that of Frankfurt in Germany, European hub which recorded 44 consecutive cancellations disruptions elsewhere.

The Eurostar Channel link was also affected, with about one train in three canceled Friday between Paris and London and between London and Brussels, delays of up to 90 minutes for the shuttle maintained.

Eurostar included disturbances last all weekend.

He fell less snow over Great Britain during the night than in previous days, but the ice made it difficult to supply some fuel pumps and shops.

“And now the food shortage!” A headline in the tabloid Daily Express.

The British government is under fire from critics, stocks to salt the roads are lower by almost 60% in tonnage recommended.

In Belgium, local rail lines were interrupted. On the line Mons-Brussels-Halle (central China), accumulated snow and mud slowed traffic and caused a slight derailment, causing no injuries.

Germany recorded its first death from cold, a sexagenarian found in the snow at the entrance of a savings to Querfurt near Leipzig (East). By Saturday, it will be required to operate throughout winter tires subject to fines (up to 80 euros).

In Spain, the alert level was raised to “orange” in four northern regions due to “significant risks” to snow and traffic remained disrupted in the north and center.

In France, conditions were improving in the center and west, but 2,900 homes were still without power and vigilance for the development of cars and trucks in fear of freezing fog.

A department has banned at least until December 10 to hunt migratory birds and some waterfowl, to protect them while the lakes are frozen.

Even Moscow is facing an unusually cold for the season is observed that “every 30 to 50 years,” authorities said weather. The coldest was found alive Tuesday in the Urals and Siberia: -47 degrees Yamalo-Nenets and -51 degrees in the country Evenk.

Moreover, in Venice, Italy, the sirens went off and the water rose to 1.40 meters above the sea level, the highest tide of the year.

In the Balkans, several thousand people were evacuated from their homes due to flooding caused by torrential rains in Montenegro, Bosnia and Serbia.

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