Bucharest - Blizzards and glacial temperatures gripped much of eastern Europe yesterday leaving dozens of people dead, snarling road and rail traffic and cutting off power to countless villages.
Officials reported deaths linked to more than a week of cold weather in countries from France in the west to Russia and the Baltic states in the east. Most were elderly, homeless or had been drinking heavily.
Romania bore the brunt of snowfalls, with dozens of roads snowbound and the army digging out hundreds of motorists stranded in cars for up to 36 hours.