Heavy snowfalls from Poland to Turkey cause more than a dozen deaths, many of them among homeless people and refugees

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Freezing temperatures across Europe have caused more than a dozen deaths and major disruption to power, water supplies and transport networks in recent days.

Temperatures as low as -26C (-15F) caused ice to form on the Adriatic sea, the Danube and many smaller rivers, lakes and ponds.

In Italy eight deaths were blamed on the extreme cold and the authorities said there were two more in Poland on Saturday, bringing the nation’s death toll from winter weather to 55 since the beginning of November. The dead in Italy included a man living in the basement of an unused building in Milan and another on a street flanking Florence’s Arno river. They were among at least half a dozen weather-related deaths of homeless people in the country.

Heavy snow and high winds also resulted in rerouted flights, delayed ferries, cancelled trains and closed roads in Italy. With no indication of a letup, some schools in the south of the country were ordered not to open on Monday because of as much as a metre of snow, the Ansa news agency reported. In Rome the fountains in St Peter’s Square froze overnight.

In Bulgaria police said three people , including a man from Iraq and a Somali woman, had died from cold in the mountains near Turkey as they tried to make their way in to Europe.

Aid workers in Serbia helped hundreds of migrants sleeping rough in parks and makeshift shelters, and the authorities banned river traffic on the Danube because of the conditions.

Snow continued to fall on Istanbul, and Turkish Airlines grounded more than 650 flights in and out of the city’s two airports. There was also notable transport disruption in Romania and Bulgaria, though many people in Russia braved the conditions. About 500 cyclists went on a five-mile ride along the Moscow river on Sunday.

Cold conditions were expected to hit the UK towards the end of this week, with snow a possibility across most of the country at some point. The wintry weather was expected to start in the north and spread southwards.



Steven Keates from the Met Office said: “On Thursday, the showers spread further south and east, putting most places at risk of showers. It is going to turn much chillier, particularly through Thursday and Friday. Some areas could see snow, and some pretty significant snow.”

Blizzards and freezing conditions persisted across Europe on Sunday. Temperatures in Poland dropped below -20C (-4F) on Saturday and an even colder night was forecast.

Eyewitness: Istanbul, Turkey Read more

A man died in Belgium on Saturday when his truck slid off a highway.

Temperatures dropped to -7C in Greece’s second largest city of Thessaloniki and a low of -10C was expected on Sunday, according to the Norwegian Meteorological Institute. Roads were closed temporarily across large swaths of northern Greece because of snow and ice.

Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency reported that the Bosphorus Strait, which runs through Istanbul and is one of Europe’s busiest shipping lanes, was closed and ferry services halted.

Turkey’s private Dogan news agency reported one of the main highways in Istanbul practically turned into a car park after drivers deserted their vehicles on Friday night to walk home rather than battle snow and slippery roads.

In northern Europe, where residents are accustomed to sub-zero temperatures and snowy winters, Danish police warned about icy and slippery roads after dozens of minor traffic accidents.

