Heaviest snowfall in decades wreaks havoc across Europe

Hundreds of people die in Arctic conditions across continent, with more than 120 reported dead in Ukraine alone
Snow-covered road in Burgos, Ukraine
A truck clears snow in Burgos, Spain. More than 120 people died in the country owing to the poor weather conditions. Photograph: Cesar Manso/AFP/Getty Images

Freezing weather paralysed parts of central and southern Europe over the weekend, with Bosnia and Italy experiencing their heaviest snowfall for decades.




Ukraine had the greatest death toll with more than 120 people freezing to death, most of them at the end of last week, in temperatures that plunged to -30C at night. Most died from hypothermia or frostbite in the street. Bodies continued to be found, some buried in snow in remote parts of the country.

In Poland, the worst affected were homeless people. In Bulgaria, the poorest country in the EU, 16 people died owing to the cold weather. Most were from remote villages and were found dead at the side of the road or in unheated houses.

As the snow moved west, deaths were also reported in France. Two elderly people with Alzheimer's disease died after leaving home in the poor weather. One, an 82-year-old man from Moselle in north-eastern France, had left home in only his pyjamas. He was found dead just over half a mile from his home in temperatures that fell to -14C. France was bracing itself for a two-year high in electricity consumption as temperatures plunged to -20C in Reims and Mulhouse. On Sunday, the government warned French consumers to be cautious about energy use.

Meanwhile, Rome was paralysed by its heaviest snowfall in 27 years, which left buses struggling to navigate the icy roads and people stranded in cars for hours. The city's mayor was criticised over a lack of snow ploughs and salters. About 4,000 government-issued shovels were handed out in several main piazzas to Romans trying to clear their streets before a freeze forecast for Sunday evening. There were a handful of deaths in Italy due to the weather conditions, including a man in southern Naples found dead in his snow-covered car at the side of the road.

Snow also fell on Spain's Balearic islands in the Mediterranean, as well as Sardinia and Corsica. The Algerian capital, Algiers, saw a freak snowfall of at least 10cm, the first in eight years.

Even Greece was not spared from the vicissitudes of the continental weather system. An 80-year-old woman drowned and dozens more were trapped in flooded houses in the western city of Pyrgos after almost 15cm of rain fell overnight, the Associated Press reported.

• This article was amended on 6 February 2012. The original said people died from hyperthermia. In addition, the original photo caption referred to Burgos in Ukraine. These have both been corrected.

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