More than 30 people die in freeze

SUDDEN heavy winter weather has left at least 36 dead people dead across central and eastern Europe, with Poland reporting ten deaths yesterday as the temperature fell to minus –26C.

The current freeze, which spread to most of the region late last week, came after a period of relatively mild weather, catching many people out.

At least 18 people, most of them homeless, have died in Ukraine from hypothermia and nearly 500 people have sought medical help for frostbite, officials said.

In Warsaw, city authorities have placed heaters in the busiest city transport stops to help waiting passengers keep warm.

City authorities in the Czech capital, Prague have set up tents for an estimated 3,000 homeless people. Freezing temperatures also damaged train tracks, slowing railway traffic.

In central Serbia, three people have died and two more are missing. Efforts to clear roads blocked by snow were hampered by strong winds and dozens of towns face power cuts.

The situation was similar in Romania, where reports said four people have died. Authorities sent prison inmates to shovel snow and unblock paths leading to an animal shelter.