Cold wave claims 60 lives in Europe

Published: 26 January 2006 y., Thursday

Europe’s Arctic cold front loosened its deadly grip on Thursday, but not before claiming at least 60 more victims overnight in Ukraine, Poland and half-a-dozen other countries battered by a week of deep-freezer temperatures.

In Italy near Milan, a mother discovered that her newborn child had frozen to death inside the nomadic family’s makeshift tin shack. Another three-month old Roma child died under similar circumstances in Bulgaria.

In Ukraine alone 40 people perished overnight Wednesday as a result of extreme cold, bringing to at least 181 the number of deaths since temperatures plunged last week.

In Poland the most recent 24-hour toll was 10, for an 8-day total of 63 dead. There were also deaths reported in Croatia, the Czech Republic and Romania, which had registered 37 weather-related fatalities for the week as of Thurdsay.

The situation in Georgia remained critical Thursday due to massive electricity failures and the fifth day without natural gas supplies from Russia, abruptly cut when an explosion Sunday burst the main pipeline.

Most homes in the capital of this ex-Soviet nation were without gas as overnight temperatures fell as low as minus 10 degrees Celsius (14 Fahrenheit).

The country’s problems were compounded by power cuts across the capital Tbilisi and the rest of eastern Georgia caused by snowstorms and excessive demand. Only key installations such as hospitals were being supplied with emergency electricity, a spokesman for the state-run power company told AFP.

Šaltinis: dawn.com
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.

Facebook Comments

New comment


Captcha

Associated articles

The most popular articles

Opportunity to Roll Onto Mars Surface

The Opportunity rover is on track to roll onto Mars (search) as early as Sunday, just days before its twin could resume its own work exploring the Red Planet, NASA said Wednesday. more »

Opportunity lands on Mars

Spirit 'upgraded from critical to serious' more »

Poland lifts US beef ban

Poland has become the first country to lift its ban on US beef, imposed after America's mad cow disease outbreak more »

Lake Balkhash drying up, UN warns Kazakhstan

16th-largest lake: Disaster feared as basin is drained for agriculture more »

EU, scientists tout Mars mission despite Beagle doubts

The EU has hailed the Mars Express mission as a major achievement for Europe more »

Mars mission lands to ominous silence

Europe successfully met its planned Christmas rendezvous with the planet Mars more »

Mars beckons for Beagle probe

Mission controllers are gearing up for the arrival of Europe's first mission to Mars more »

Islanders May Hold Key to Malaria Vaccine

Scientists may have discovered how to develop a vaccine to beat the killer disease malaria more »

Urgent action is needed to fight Aids

The head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Sunday urged rich nations to provide more money to fight Aids, which is devastating African nations more »

NASA Takes the Internet into Space

The Communications and Navigation Demonstration on Shuttle (CANDOS) project used a new low-power transceiver (LPT) on the shuttle to communicate with bases in New Mexico, Virginia and Florida more »