Homeless die and families without power as cold snap ravages Europe

Dozens of people have frozen to death as arctic temperatures lashed large parts of Europe.Since the start of December, 47 people, mainly homeless, had been found frozen to death in Poland as temperatures dropped as low as -20C. Police in Warsaw said 15 people died on Saturday night. And Polish police appealed for people to help if they came across homeless or drunk people lying outside, as temperatures plummeted.

In Ukraine, at least 27 people died, and another nine in Czech Republic, where temperatures reached record lows in several cities.The cold weather in Germany resulted in six deaths, while traffic chaos ensued on train lines, roads, and airport services. On Sunday night, temperatures went below minus 22 degrees Fahrenheit, rendering it the coldest night of the year.Cold-related deaths were also reported in France, where two homeless people died.Freezing temperatures and snow were causing travel chaos in many countries, including France, where 40% of flights from Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports in Paris were cancelled. In Spain, runways were closed at Madrid's Barajas airport after temperatures fell to -8C and high-speed AVE trains were suspended between the capital and Barcelona, Malagá and Seville. Temperatures dropped to as low as -33C in southern parts of Germany where hundreds of road accidents have been blamed on the weather.

In Bulgaria, in eastern Europe, families living in more than 220 villages and towns were left without electricity, and toppled trees cut power in several mountainous suburbs in the capital Sofia. An overflowing dam in the town of Zlatograd, south-east of the capital, Sofia, flooded the basements of several apartment buildings, the town's mayor told news agency Focus.Yesterday, some 50 passengers were injured when a train failed to stop and hit a buffer at the main Zagreb station, in the Croatian capital, police said. The accident involved a train travelling from the central town of Sisak to Zagreb. One person suffered a life-threatening injury, while 40 people needed medical help, hospital sources said. It is still not known what caused the accident, say police. Heavy snow and very low temperatures have disrupted train travel in Croatia over the past few days.

In Moscow, where temperatures fell to -26C last week, relatively warmer temperatures of -13C brought heavy snow falls in the Russian capital, blanketing Red Square and the Kremlin. Up to 9,000 snow ploughs were said to have been sent out to clear the capital city's streets.Temperatures are forecast to rise later in the week.

By Hayley Jarvis for SOS Children