JOIN USThe cold weather continued its grip on the UK and continental Europe on Wednesday.
In Poland many areas were covered in snow, causing traffic snarl ups and delays for commuters. Polish police said eight men died on Tuesday night after a bitter cold front roared in.
In Bialystok, public transport was facing another day of disruptions with temperatures reaching a record minus 22 degrees Celsius. Elsewhere, the snow accumulations made air travel impossible. Edinburgh Airport in Scotland was reported closed till Thursday morning. Snow ploughs and special snow removal equipment were seen at the Scottish city’s airport clearing snow, but with more snow falling, planes were still grounded.
Motorways and villages in many parts of England showed significant accumulations of snow, with thousands of schools and business closed as a result of the extreme weather. But, while cold weather may have a grip on continental Europe, Greeks are experiencing record heat.
Freezing weather claims 26 lives
Warsaw, afp: Freezing weather has claimed 26 lives across Central Europe this week, including 18 deaths in Poland where temperatures plunged to minus 33 degrees Celsius, officials said on Thursday. “Ten people died due to exposure over the last 24 hours across Poland after eight died on Tuesday,” Poland’s police spokesman Mariusz Sokolowski said.
Alcohol and homelessness are common factors in the deaths and the victims are primarily men, aged 35 to 60, he added. In Lithuania, cold weather has also claimed four lives.