European cold snap death toll rises to 71

KIEV - The Associated Press

Ukraine, Poland, Romania, Serbia Bulgaria are affected from snow. AFP photo

The death toll from a severe cold spell in Eastern Europe rose to 71 yesterday, most of them homeless people.

Temperatures dropped to minus 30 degrees Celcius in some regions, causing power outages and traffic chaos and prompting authorities to close schools and nurseries. Ukraine alone reported 43 deaths. Over 720 others were hospitalized with hypothermia and frostbite.

Cold deaths were also reported in Poland, Romania, Serbia and Bulgaria. In Russia, only one death in Moscow was attributed to the cold, even though temperatures fell to minus 21 degrees Celcius. The Russian Emergencies Ministry did not report deaths across the country yet.