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Two people were found dead in Romania as snow and sub-zero temperatures across much of Europe forced flight cancellations, disrupted road and rail transport, and closed schools.
Key points:
- Woman, 83, dies after being found in the snow in Romania
- Snowfall of 182 centimetres recorded in Delnice, Croatia
- Roofs of houses collapse under snow in north-western Bosnia
A Siberian weather system forecasters have called the "Beast from the East" brought the coldest temperatures for years to many regions. The freeze was expected to continue for much of the week.
In southern Romania, an 83-year-old woman from Adancata was found collapsed in the snow and died on the way to hospital, the Institute for Emergency Situations said.
A 65-year-old man was found dead late on Monday in the eastern county of Suceava, an official told state news agency Agerpres.
Parts of a motorway linking the capital Bucharest to Constanta and dozens of other roads were closed.
More than 80 trains and 15 flights were cancelled, Romanian police said, and Romania's Black Sea ports were closed.
Record snowfall of 182 centimetres paralysed the northern Croatian town of Delnice and rescue services took several hours to evacuate residents in the nearby village of Mrzle Vodice.
Temperatures hit a low of -20C in Zavizan on the Velebit mountain.
House roofs collapse
Schools were closed in Bucharest and 10 Romanian counties, as well as across western and central Croatia.
The roofs of dozens of houses collapsed under the weight of snow in the Unsko-Sanski canton in north-western Bosnia.
State-run RTCG TV reported that Montenegro's main Golubovci airport was closed for several hours overnight.
In Britain, parts of the east saw up to 10 centimetres of snow and the weather service said temperatures could fall towards -10C in some rural areas.
In London, snow covered some parts of Westminster and a blizzard briefly swept through the Canary Wharf financial district.
A rare snowstorm in Rome on Monday prompted Italian authorities to call in the army to help clear the streets.
As the storm moved south on Tuesday, Naples saw its most snow since 1956.
It blanketed the beach and covered fishing boats in small city ports such as Santa Lucia and Mergellina.
With a snow-covered Mount Vesuvius providing the backdrop, the snow paralysed traffic and train services.
Schools were closed in Naples and much of southern Italy.
Reuters
Topics: storm-disaster, disasters-and-accidents, storm-event, weather, romania
First posted