Heavy snowfall and sub-zero temperatures have led to multiple deaths and disrupted travel in countries across Europe.

At least 10 people have died of the cold in Poland in recent days, officials said, with temperatures plummeting below minus 20C on Saturday.

In Belgium a man died after his lorry slid off a highway, while the deaths of half a dozen homeless people in Italy have been blamed on freezing conditions.

We’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view. From 15p €0.18 $0.18 USD 0.27 a day, more exclusives, analysis and extras.

Planes have been grounded and ferry services disrupted in several places across the continent.

Heavy snow in Istanbul forced Turkish Airlines to cancel more than 650 flights. The Bosphorus Strait was also closed and ferries stopped completely, according to the state-run Anadolu news agency.

Parts of southern Italy were reportedly buried beneath a metre of snow and in Rome the fountains in St Peter's Square froze overnight.

It has also been the coldest Orthodox Christmas in Russia for 120 years, with thermometers reading minus 30C overnight in Moscow, and minus 24C in St Petersburg.

Shape Created with Sketch. In pictures: Winter weather hits the UK Show all 17 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. In pictures: Winter weather hits the UK 1/17 A man works in the snow in the Yorkshire Dales near Hawes 2/17 A man jogs past the partially frozen Sefton Park Lake in Liverpool PA 3/17 A jogger runs through the snow under the Angel of the North in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear PA 4/17 A man walks through the snow close to the Angel of the North in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear PA 5/17 Temperatures drop as night time falls and snow blankets moors in the Peak District near Buxton Getty Images 6/17 Temperatures drop, as night time falls, and snow enhances the complex pattern of fields on the moors in the Peak District near Buxton Getty Images 7/17 A van waits to be recovered after sliding into a ditch on an icy road in the Peak District near Buxton Getty Images 8/17 Snow blankets the countryside in the Peak District near Buxton Getty Images 9/17 Farmers on the Richmondshire and Cumbria border take feed for the sheep on the Pennine tops with the A66 trans Pennine route in the background as snow falls across many parts of the UK PA 10/17 A tractor with a snow plough parked outside the Tan Hill Inn in Swaledale, North Yorkshire as snow falls in the Pennines PA 11/17 Cars make their way through the snow on the A1 northbound in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, as the UK braced for a new wave of bad weather after forecasters issued warnings of heavy snow in parts of England and Scotland PA 12/17 Snowfalls over high ground of the Pennines at Tan Hill PA 13/17 Sue and Chris Betts take their dog for a walk in the snow near Beamish, Tyne and Wear after heavy snow in the area PA 14/17 Clyde Wind Farm near Abington in Scotland PA 15/17 Sheep near Abington in Scotland PA 16/17 Snow in Abington in Scotland as the cold weather hits parts of the UK PA 17/17 Snow blankets the countryside in the Peak District near Buxton Getty Images 1/17 A man works in the snow in the Yorkshire Dales near Hawes 2/17 A man jogs past the partially frozen Sefton Park Lake in Liverpool PA 3/17 A jogger runs through the snow under the Angel of the North in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear PA 4/17 A man walks through the snow close to the Angel of the North in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear PA 5/17 Temperatures drop as night time falls and snow blankets moors in the Peak District near Buxton Getty Images 6/17 Temperatures drop, as night time falls, and snow enhances the complex pattern of fields on the moors in the Peak District near Buxton Getty Images 7/17 A van waits to be recovered after sliding into a ditch on an icy road in the Peak District near Buxton Getty Images 8/17 Snow blankets the countryside in the Peak District near Buxton Getty Images 9/17 Farmers on the Richmondshire and Cumbria border take feed for the sheep on the Pennine tops with the A66 trans Pennine route in the background as snow falls across many parts of the UK PA 10/17 A tractor with a snow plough parked outside the Tan Hill Inn in Swaledale, North Yorkshire as snow falls in the Pennines PA 11/17 Cars make their way through the snow on the A1 northbound in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, as the UK braced for a new wave of bad weather after forecasters issued warnings of heavy snow in parts of England and Scotland PA 12/17 Snowfalls over high ground of the Pennines at Tan Hill PA 13/17 Sue and Chris Betts take their dog for a walk in the snow near Beamish, Tyne and Wear after heavy snow in the area PA 14/17 Clyde Wind Farm near Abington in Scotland PA 15/17 Sheep near Abington in Scotland PA 16/17 Snow in Abington in Scotland as the cold weather hits parts of the UK PA 17/17 Snow blankets the countryside in the Peak District near Buxton Getty Images

In Greece's second-largest city, Thessaloniki, temperatures fell to minus 7C, and in Athens they reached 0C. Several Greek islands, including Lesbos, experienced heavy snowfall.

In the former Olympic ski resort of Sarajevo, in Bosnia, many skiers stayed away from the slopes as temperatures dipped to minus 27C, Sky News reported.

In Switzerland, the lowest temperature in western Europe was recorded in the village of La Brevine, which reached minus 29.9C on Friday.

The village also holds the record for the coldest-ever recorded temperature in Switzerland, of minus 41.8C on 12 January, 1987.

Additional reporting by AP</s>Heavy snowfalls and sub-zero temperatures across Europe have left more than 20 people dead and one of the continent's tallest waterfalls starting to freeze over.

The extreme winter weather across the continent has left villages cut off, caused power and water outages, frozen rivers and lakes, grounded flights and led to road accidents.

In Poland, 55 deaths have been linked to the cold weather since November 1, authorities said, with temperatures dropping to -30 degrees Celsius in the mountains of southern Poland in recent days.

Serbian authorities have banned river traffic on its stretch of the Danube — one of Europe's main rivers — because of ice and strong wind.

Aid workers said many of several hundred asylum seekers sheltering in an abandoned warehouse in the country's capital Belgrade were sick after a few days in extreme cold.

Heaters, blankets, clothes and food had been distributed by aid organisations, in an attempt to keep the men, mostly from Afghanistan and Pakistan, warm.

"The next few days are critical, and for sure the health condition of these people is worsening," MSF Head of Mission in Serbia, Stephane Moissaing, said.

In Bulgaria, police said two men from Iraq and a Somali woman died from cold in the mountains near Turkey as they tried to make their way toward Europe and a passenger train derailed after it hit a pile of snow in the central part of the country.

Four Portuguese people were killed when a bus skidded on an icy road in eastern France, while black ice across northern and western Germany has caused countless accidents and injuries.

German federal police said they picked up 19 asylum seekers — including five children — at a highway stop in Bavaria, who were suffering from hypothermia after their driver disappeared and left them on the back of an unheated a truck for hours in the freezing cold.

But for hundreds of Muscovites, the fact that the temperature had plunged to -27 Celsius was no reason to avoid going for a group bicycle ride.

About 500 cyclists, many equipped with fur hats and other nonstandard gear, held a ride of about 8 kilometres along the Moscow River, as the capital shivered through a fierce cold snap.

In Italy, eight deaths have been blamed on the sub-freezing temperatures, including six homeless people.

At the Vatican, Pope Francis drew attention to the homeless and asked God to "warm our hearts so we'll help [the homeless]".

One man died in the basement of an unused building in Milan and another one on a street flanking Florence's Arno River.

The Marmore waterfall, known as one of the tallest in Europe, has started to freeze over with icicles hanging from below the falls.

Temperatures dropped to -5 degrees Celsius in the area, turning the falling water into long icicles.

The sight attracted many curious tourists and residents, who braved the cold to visit.

Some sections of the paths leading around the waterfall were closed, with ice on the ground making them dangerous.</s>A cold wave stretching across Europe has left at least two dozen people dead in the past two days, including several migrants and homeless people, with the frigid temperatures expected to continue.

Four Portuguese tourists were killed and about 20 others were injured Sunday when their bus crashed off an icy highway in central France before dawn on what is locally known as “the road of death.”

The 40-seat bus was on its way to Switzerland. According to authorities, it appeared that the driver lost control of the vehicle because of ice on the road.

Ten victims of the cold perished in Poland, where temperatures were as low as minus 14 degrees Celsius.

In Italy, the cold has been blamed for seven deaths, including five homeless people, two of them Polish nationals, authorities said.

Heavy snowfall in central and southeast Italy forced the closure of airports at Bari and Brindisi as well as in Sicily.

Prague’s emergency services reported three deaths — two homeless people and a parking lot guard.

Temperatures in Moscow fell to minus 30 degrees overnight and to minus 24 in St. Petersburg, where police found the body of a man who had died of hypothermia.

Meanwhile, a huge and heavily laden container ship narrowly missed the shore as it made its way through the Bosporus in Istanbul Saturday. The state-run Anadolu news agency reported that the strait, one of Europe’s busiest shipping lanes, was closed with ferries being halted earlier in the day.

Heavy snow has crippled Istanbul, and national carrier Turkish Airlines canceled more than 650 flights.

Authorities expect the death toll to rise as weather conditions are set to remain unchanged through the coming days.</s>Blizzards and dangerously low temperatures persisted in parts of Europe on Sunday, prompting Pope Francis to draw attention to the homeless suffering in freezing weather. In Serbia, aid workers scrambled to help hundreds of migrants sleeping rough in parks and makeshift shelters.

The extreme winter weather that has gripped Europe in the past days has caused more than a dozen deaths, left villages cut off, caused power and water outages, frozen rivers and lakes, grounded flights and led to road accidents. Serbia’s authorities on Sunday banned river traffic on its stretch of the Danube — one of Europe’s main rivers — because of ice and strong wind.

Two men died of cold in Poland on Saturday, bringing the nation’s death toll from winter weather to 55 since Nov. 1, authorities said Sunday. Temperatures dropped to minus 30 degrees Celsius (minus 22 Fahrenheit) in the mountains of southern Poland.

In Italy, eight deaths were blamed on the cold, including a man who died in the basement of an unused building in Milan, and another one on a street flanking Florence’s Arno River. Francis asked God to “warm our hearts so we’ll help” the homeless.

In Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, several hundred men, mostly from Afghanistan and Pakistan, remained in an abandoned customs warehouse by the city’s bus station, where aid organizations distributed heaters, blankets, clothes and food in an attempt to keep them warm.

“We are all working together to help these people,” Mirjana Milenkovski, a spokeswoman for the U.N. refugee agency, said.

While most of the several thousand migrants in Serbia have stayed in the Balkan country’s asylum centers, hundreds have refused to do so, looking for ways to move on toward Western Europe.

In neighboring Bulgaria, police said two men from Iraq and a Somali woman died from cold in the mountains near Turkey as they tried to make their way toward Europe. Many in the Belgrade warehouse were sick after few days in extreme cold, aid workers said.

“The next few days are critical, and for sure the health condition of these people is worsening,” said Stephane Moissaing, MSF head of mission in Serbia.

German federal police said Sunday they picked up 19 migrants — including five children — at a highway stop in Bavaria who were suffering from hypothermia after their driver disappeared and left them on the back of an unheated a truck for hours in the freezing cold.

Elsewhere, emergency measures were declared in several municipalities in Serbia’s south and southwest. Dozens of villages in Serbia’s remote Pestar region were sealed off by heavy snow, prompting the evacuation of some 100 people by emergency crews. Authorities said 70 km of water pipes there were frozen.

Numerous villages in northern Bulgaria also were left without electricity and water. Power outages were also reported throughout the region.

Polar temperatures of between minus 15 and minus 26 degrees Celsius (5 and minus 15 Fahrenheit) saw ice forming on the Adriatic sea and the Danube, while countless smaller rivers, lakes and ponds froze.

Montenegro’s port of Bar in southern Adriatic closed down on Saturday, while sea traffic was suspended for days in neighboring Croatia.

Police in Bulgaria said a passenger train was derailed Sunday after it hit a pile of snow in the central part of the country. Snow fell on Istanbul for the third straight day, and Turkish Airlines grounded hundreds of flights in and out of the city’s two airports.

A dozen major roads remained closed in Romania due to heavy snow and some ferry services between Romania and Bulgaria across the Danube were canceled. Authorities said schools would be closed Monday and Tuesday in many areas, including in the capital, Bucharest.

Four Portuguese nationals were killed when a bus skidded on an icy road in eastern France early Sunday. The road is notorious for fatal accidents.

Black ice across northern and western Germany has caused countless accidents and injuries — firefighters in the city of Hamburg said Sunday they were called to weather-related accidents 415 times during the weekend.

Near Hannover, one person died in a car accident when his car skidded against a tree on an icy road, German news agency dpa reported. City authorities shut down the public transportation system and across the country, people were asked to wait out the severe weather conditions at home.

For hundreds of Muscovites, however, the fact that the temperature had plunged to minus-27 Celsius (minus 17 Fahrenheit) was no reason to avoid going for a group bicycle ride. About 500 cyclists, many equipped with fur hats and other nonstandard gear, held a ride of about eight kilometers (five miles) along the Moscow River on Sunday as the capital shivered through a fierce cold snap.

German federal police say that they found 19 migrants at a highway stop in Bavaria who were suffering from hypothermia after their driver disappeared and left them in the back of an unheated truck for hours.

Temperatures were hovering around minus 20 C (-4 F).

Police spokesman Rainer Scharf said Sunday that the migrants, among them five children, eventually asked people at the highway stop near Brannenburg for help and they then called police.

Scharf said the migrants, who got on the truck in Italy, didn’t carry papers but said they came from Syria, Iraq and Iran. They paid traffickers between €500 and €800 ($525-840) per person and had come to Germany to apply for asylum. They told police the truck had been experiencing engine problems before the driver left.</s>WARSAW - A cold wave across Europe has left at least 20 people dead in the past two days, including several homeless and migrants, authorities said Saturday, with the frigid temperatures expected to continue through the weekend.

Russia meanwhile celebrated the coldest Orthodox Christmas in 120 years, and Istanbul was covered with a blanket of snow.

Ten of the latest victims of the cold perished in Poland where sub-freezing conditions remain with minus 14 degrees Celsius (seven degrees Fahrenheit) forecast on Saturday.

"Seven people died on Friday in what was the deadliest day this winter," said spokeswoman Bozena Wysocka from the Polish government centre for security (RCB).

"We recorded three other victims the previous day," she said. "This takes to 53 the number of hypothermia victims since November 1."

In Italy in the past 48 hours the cold has been blamed for seven deaths, including five homeless people, two of them Polish nationals, authorities said.

There was heavy snowfall in central Italy and also in the southeast where the airports at Bari and Brindisi as well as in Sicily were closed Saturday morning.

Temperatures in Moscow fell to minus 30 degrees overnight and to minus 24 in Saint Petersburg where police found the body of a man who had died of hypothermia.

And in Bulgaria on Friday the frozen bodies of two Iraqi migrants were discovered by villagers in a mountain forest in the southeast of the country near the border with Turkey.

Authorities expect the toll to rise as weather conditions are set to remain unchanged this weekend.

The winter snow storms reached Turkey, paralysing its biggest city Istanbul where hundreds of flights were cancelled on Saturday. Traffic through the Bosphorus strait was also disrupted.

Greece likewise has seen fierce cold weather this past week. In the north near the Turkish frontier a 20-year-old Afghan migrant died of the cold on Tuesday.

With more than 60,000 mainly Syrian refugees on its territory, Greece has moved many migrants to prefabricated houses and heated tents.

The temperature in Athens on Saturday was zero degrees Celsius and down to minus 15 in the north of the country.

The coldest temperature in Europe so far this winter was recorded on Friday in the Swiss village of La Brevine at minus 29.9 degrees.

That was still much warmer than the village's record of the coldest temperature ever in Switzerland at minus 41.8 degrees on January 12, 1987.</s>WARSAW: A cold wave across Europe has left at least 23 dead in the past two days, including several migrants and homeless people, authorities said Saturday, with the frigid temperatures expected to continue through the weekend.

Russia, meanwhile, celebrated the coldest Orthodox Christmas in 120 years, and even Istanbul was covered with a blanket of snow.

Ten of the latest victims of the cold perished in Poland, where temperatures were as low as minus 14 degrees Celsius (seven degrees Fahrenheit) on Saturday.

"Seven people died on Friday in what was the deadliest day this winter," said spokeswoman Bozena Wysocka from the Polish government centre for security (RCB). "We recorded three other victims the previous day," she said. "This takes to 53 the number of hypothermia victims since November 1."

In Italy, in the past 48 hours, the cold has been blamed for seven deaths, including five homeless people, two of them Polish nationals, authorities said.

There was heavy snowfall in central Italy and also in the southeast, where the airports at Bari and Brindisi as well as in Sicily were closed Saturday morning.

Prague's emergency services reported three deaths – two homeless people and a parking lot guard – overnight in the Czech capital, the coldest night so far this winter.

Temperatures in Moscow fell to minus 30 degrees overnight, and to minus 24 in Saint Petersburg, where police found the body of a man who had died of hypothermia. And in Bulgaria, on Friday, the frozen bodies of two Iraqi migrants were discovered by villagers in a mountain forest in the southeast of the country near the border with Turkey.

Authorities expect the toll to rise as weather conditions are set to remain unchanged this weekend.

The heavy snowstorms reached Turkey, paralysing its biggest city Istanbul where almost 65 centimetres (25 inches) of snow fell, forcing hundreds of flights to be cancelled on Saturday.

Coastguards also ordered a halt to shipping traffic in both directions through the Bosphorus Strait – one of the world's busiest sea thoroughfares – and the municipal ferry service between the European and Asian sides of the city was suspended.

Greece likewise has seen fierce cold weather over the past week. In the north, near the Turkish frontier, a 20-year-old Afghan migrant died of the cold on Tuesday. With more than 60,000 mainly Syrian refugees on its territory, Greece has moved many migrants to prefabricated houses and heated tents.

The temperature in Athens on Saturday was zero degrees Celsius, and down to minus 15 in the north of the country.

The coldest temperature in Europe so far this winter was recorded on Friday in the Swiss village of La Brevine at minus 29.9 degrees.

That was still much milder than the village's record of the coldest temperature ever in Switzerland at minus 41.8 degrees on January 12, 1987.</s>WARSAW: A cold wave across Europe has left at least 23 dead in the past two days, including several migrants and homeless people, authorities said Saturday, with the frigid temperatures expected to continue through the weekend.

Russia meanwhile celebrated the coldest Orthodox Christmas in 120 years, and even Istanbul was covered with a blanket of snow.

Ten of the latest victims of the cold perished in Poland where temperatures were as low as minus 14 degrees Celsius (seven degrees Fahrenheit) on Saturday.

"Seven people died on Friday in what was the deadliest day this winter," said spokeswoman Bozena Wysocka from the Polish government centre for security (RCB).

"We recorded three other victims the previous day," she said. "This takes to 53 the number of hypothermia victims since November 1."

In Italy in the past 48 hours the cold has been blamed for seven deaths, including five homeless people, two of them Polish nationals, authorities said.

There was heavy snowfall in central Italy and also in the southeast where the airports at Bari and Brindisi as well as in Sicily were closed Saturday morning.

Prague´s emergency services reported three deaths -- two homeless people and a parking lot guard -- overnight in the Czech capital, the coldest night so far this winter.

Temperatures in Moscow fell to minus 30 degrees overnight and to minus 24 in Saint Petersburg where police found the body of a man who had died of hypothermia.

And in Bulgaria on Friday the frozen bodies of two Iraqi migrants were discovered by villagers in a mountain forest in the southeast of the country near the border with Turkey.

Authorities expect the toll to rise as weather conditions are set to remain unchanged this weekend

At least 23 people die in cold snap across Europe was posted in World of TheNews International - https://www.thenews.com.pk on January 08, 2017 and was last updated on January 08, 2017. This news story is related to Latest/177488-At-least-23-people-die-in-cold-snap-across-Europe/ - breaking news, latest news, pakistan ne. Permanent link to the news story "At least 23 people die in cold snap across Europe" is https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/177488-At-least-23-people-die-in-cold-snap-across-Europe.</s>A cold wave across Europe has left at least 23 dead in the past three days, including several migrants and homeless people, authorities said, with the frigid temperatures expected to continue through the weekend. Russia meanwhile celebrated the coldest Orthodox Christmas in 120 years, and Istanbul was covered with a blanket of snow.

 

 Ten of the latest victims of the cold perished in Poland where temperatures were as low as minus 14 degrees Celsius on Saturday.

 

 "Seven people died on Friday in what was the deadliest day this winter," said spokeswoman Bozena Wysocka from the Polish government center for security (RCB). "We recorded three other victims the previous day," she said. "This takes to 53 the number of hypothermia victims since November 1."

 

 In Italy in the past 48 hours the cold has been blamed for seven deaths, including five homeless people, two of them Polish nationals, authorities said.

 

 There was heavy snowfall in central Italy and also in the southeast where the airports at Bari and Brindisi as well as in Sicily were closed Saturday morning.

 

 Prague's emergency services reported three deaths -- two homeless people and a parking lot guard -- overnight in the Czech capital, the coldest night so far this winter.

 

 Temperatures in Moscow fell to minus 30 degrees overnight and to minus 24 in Saint Petersburg where police found the body of a man who had died of hypothermia.

 

 And in Bulgaria on Friday the frozen bodies of two Iraqi migrants were discovered by villagers in a mountain forest in the southeast of the country near the border with Turkey. Authorities expect the toll to rise as weather conditions are set to remain unchanged this weekend.

 

 In Romania, authorities said 90 people were rescued from stranded cars and that crews were working to save people stuck in some 30 cars on a major highway. More than 40 trains were not running due to snow on the tracks.

 

 Greece has seen fierce cold weather over the past week. In the north near the Turkish frontier a 20-year-old Afghan migrant died of the cold on Tuesday. With more than 60,000 mainly Syrian refugees on its territory, Greece has moved many migrants to prefabricated houses and heated tents.

 

 The temperature in Athens on Saturday was zero degrees Celsius and down to minus 15 in the north of the country. The coldest temperature in Europe so far this winter was recorded on Friday in the Swiss village of La Brevine at minus 29.9 degrees. That was still much milder than the village's record of the coldest temperature ever in Switzerland at minus 41.8 degrees on January 12, 1987.</s>WARSAW: A cold wave across Europe has left at least 20 people dead in the past two days, including several homeless and migrants, authorities said on Saturday, with the frigid temperatures expected to continue through the weekend.

Russia meanwhile celebrated the coldest Orthodox Christmas in 120 years, and Istanbul was covered with a blanket of snow.

Ten of the latest victims of the cold perished in Poland where sub-freezing conditions remain with minus 14 degrees Celsius (seven degrees Fahrenheit) forecast on Saturday.

"Seven people died on Friday in what was the deadliest day this winter," said spokeswoman Bozena Wysocka from the Polish government centre for security (RCB).

"We recorded three other victims the previous day," she said. "This takes to 53 the number of hypothermia victims since November 1."

In Italy in the past 48 hours the cold has been blamed for seven deaths, including five homeless people, two of them Polish nationals, authorities said.

There was heavy snowfall in central Italy and also in the southeast where the airports at Bari and Brindisi as well as in Sicily were closed on Saturday morning.

Temperatures in Moscow fell to minus 30 degrees overnight and to minus 24 in Saint Petersburg where police found the body of a man who had died of hypothermia.

And in Bulgaria on Friday the frozen bodies of two Iraqi migrants were discovered by villagers in a mountain forest in the southeast of the country near the border with Turkey.

Authorities expect the toll to rise as weather conditions are set to remain unchanged this weekend.

The winter snow storms reached Turkey, paralysing its biggest city Istanbul where hundreds of flights were cancelled on Saturday. Traffic through the Bosphorus strait was also disrupted.

20 die in cold snap across Europe was posted in World of TheNews International - https://www.thenews.com.pk on January 08, 2017 and was last updated on January 08, 2017. This news story is related to Print/177616-20-die-in-cold-snap-across-Europe/ - breaking news, latest news, pakistan ne. Permanent link to the news story "20 die in cold snap across Europe" is https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/177616-20-die-in-cold-snap-across-Europe.</s>A cold wave across Europe has left at least 23 dead in the past two days, including several migrants and homeless people, authorities said Saturday, with the frigid temperatures expected to continue through the weekend.

Russia meanwhile celebrated the coldest Orthodox Christmas in 120 years, and even Istanbul was covered with a blanket of snow.

Ten of the latest victims of the cold perished in Poland where temperatures were as low as minus 14 degrees Celsius (7 Fahrenheit) on Saturday.

“Seven people died on Friday in what was the deadliest day this winter,” said spokeswoman Bozena Wysocka from the Polish government center for security (RCB).

“We recorded three other victims the previous day,” she said. “This takes to 53 the number of hypothermia victims since Nov. 1.”

In Italy in the past 48 hours the cold has been blamed for seven deaths, including five homeless people, two of them Polish nationals, authorities said.

There was heavy snowfall in central Italy and also in the southeast where the airports at Bari and Brindisi as well as in Sicily were closed Saturday morning.

Prague’s emergency services reported three deaths — two homeless people and a parking lot guard — overnight in the Czech capital, the coldest night so far this winter.

Temperatures in Moscow fell to minus 30 degrees overnight and to minus 24 in Saint Petersburg where police found the body of a man who had died of hypothermia.

And in Bulgaria on Friday the frozen bodies of two Iraqi migrants were discovered by villagers in a mountain forest in the southeast of the country near the border with Turkey.

Authorities expect the toll to rise as weather conditions are set to remain unchanged this weekend.

The heavy snowstorms reached Turkey, paralyzing its biggest city, Istanbul, where almost 65 centimeters (25 inches) of snow fell, forcing hundreds of flights to be cancelled on Saturday.

Coastguards also ordered a halt to shipping traffic in both directions through the Bosphorus Strait — one of the world’s busiest sea thoroughfares — and the municipal ferry service between the European and Asian sides of the city was suspended.

Greece likewise has seen fierce cold weather over the past week. In the north near the Turkish frontier a 20-year-old Afghan migrant died of the cold on Tuesday.

With more than 60,000 mainly Syrian refugees on its territory, Greece has moved many migrants to prefabricated houses and heated tents.

The temperature in Athens on Saturday was zero degrees Celsius and down to minus 15 in the north of the country.

The coldest temperature in Europe so far this winter was recorded on Friday in the Swiss village of La Brevine at minus 29.9 degrees.

That was still much milder than the village’s record of the coldest temperature ever in Switzerland at minus 41.8 degrees on Jan. 12, 1987.
A cold spell with the temperature reaching −30 °C in Moscow and other parts of Eastern Europe hits Europe. Nearly 20 people die in recent days; 10 in Poland.