Cold Weather Kills 61 People in Poland Since Oct. Police in Poland have appealed to residents to dress warmly and look out for elderly and homeless people, after saying that 61 people have died of the cold weather since October. Another 41 have been killed by carbon monoxide inhalation from coal or other ways of heating their homes since temperatures started falling. The Interior Ministry said Friday the death toll from sub-freezing temperatures that set in in December was 49 people so far, compared to 19 in the whole of December last year. Another 15 people died of cold in October and five in November. In most cases the victims are homeless people, or people under the influence of alcohol that fell asleep outside. Sub-freezing temperatures and snow are usual winter conditions in Poland.