Europe shivered in some of the coldest temperatures seen in decades Wednesday as the freeze claimed more lives overnight and countries battled to clear snow from roads and railways. At least 28 people froze to death overnight in eastern and central Europe, bringing the toll to more than 80 in the region since the cold snap began last week. Italy meanwhile struggled to clear its motorways and railways after heavy snow falls ed to the cancellation of a number of top football matches on Tuesday, including Juventus-Parma. In Ukraine, officials said 13 people had died of hypothermia over the past 24 hours, bringing the overall toll to 43 over the past six days.
Most were homeless people who froze to death on the streets, but seven died in their homes and more than 800 sought medical help for frostbite and hypothermia as temperatures plunged to minus 30 degrees Celsius (minus 22 degrees Fahrenheit) in some regions. Poland reported five found dead overnight, bringing the overall toll to 20 since temperatures plummeted there on Friday. The victims, most of whom had been homeless, were four men aged 29 to 61 and an 83-year-old woman, police said. Temperatures plunged to minus 30 degrees Celsius in some parts of the country, officials said. Most of the victims had been homeless, or individuals who got drunk and fell asleep outdoors, they said.