Blizzards, icy weather continue their grip on Europe

Heavy snow and below-freezing temperatures continued to sweep across the European continent yesterday, causing scores of deaths and grounding aeroplanes and crippling ferries in Italy and Turkey – an icy cold that is expected to continue over the weekend.

At least 10 people have died of the cold in Poland in the last few days according to officials, who said this included seven men aged between 41 and 66 who died on Friday. A 51-year-old died of asphyxiation by carbon monoxide due to a malfunctioning heater.

Temperatures in Poland dropped below -20°C yesterday and weather forecasts said it would fall further during the night.

In Belgium, one man died yesterday when his lorry slid off the highway.

In Italy, sub-freezing temperatures were blamed on the deaths of six homeless people, while media reports were of heavy snow and high winds resulting in rerouted flights, delayed ferries, cancelled trains and closed roads.

With no indications of a let-up, some schools in southern Italy – parts of which were buried under a metre of snow – were ordered closed on Monday, according to the ANSA news agency.

The chill didn’t spare sunny Rome. The fountains in St Peter’s Square froze overnight and dripped icicles instead.

Temperatures fell to -7°C in Greece’s second largest city, Thessaloniki, and -10°C was expected today, according to the Norwegian Meteorological Institute.

Several Greek islands, usually known for their warm, sunny weather, were blanketed in snow with freezing temperatures.

Heavy snow crippled Istanbul, and national carrier Turkish Airlines cancelled more than 650 flights. The state-run Anadolu news agency reported that even the Bosphorus Strait running through Turkey’s largest city was closed, with ferries halted.

Turkey’s private Dogan news agency reported that one of the main highways in Istanbul practically turned into a car park after drivers abandoned their cars on Friday night to walk home rather than battle the gusting snow and slippery roads.

It wasn’t all gloom in Istanbul, however. Delivery men whose truck was parked in a side street engaged in a snowball fight in between pushing their loads through mounds of snow that had built up at the roadside.