Kyiv, Ukraine
Reuters
Ten people have died in snowstorms in Ukraine, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on Tuesday, after icy winds and storms swept the country since Sunday, cutting power and blocking roads.
Southern Ukraine was the worst affected, particularly the Black Sea region of Odesa. Cars and buses slid off frozen roads into fields and police battled high winds to tow the vehicles out.
Ukrainian service members release a car which is stuck in snow following a heavy snowstorm in Odesa region, Ukraine, in this handout picture released on 28th November, 2023. PICTURE: Press Service of the Operation Command ‘South’ of the Ukrainian Armed Forces/Handout via Reuters
“As a result of worsening weather conditions, 10 people died in Odesa, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv and Kyiv regions,” Klymenko wrote on the Telegram app.
“Twenty-three people were injured, including two children,” he added.
A total of 411 settlements in 11 regions had lost power, and more than 1,500 vehicles had to be rescued, Klymenko said.
Oleh Kiper, Governor of the Odesa region where five people died due to the weather, said nearly 2,500 people had been rescued after becoming trapped by the snow.
“849 vehicles have been towed out, including 24 buses and 17 ambulances,” Kiper wrote on the Telegram app, adding that over 300 settlements in his region were without power.
Meanwhile, authorities in western Germany on Tuesday urged residents to stay home, warning of life-threatening danger, after a burst of winter weather led to hazardous roads, leaving two people dead.
The sudden onset of winter led to several accidents and people being trapped in their vehicles due to slippery roads and fallen branches caused by snowfall in many parts of Germany.
In the Schwaebisch Hall district in Baden-Wuerttemberg, a 71-year-old man died as a result of a collision on a snowy road on Monday evening. According to police in Aalen, the driver lost control of the vehicle and drove into the oncoming lane.
Another black ice accident caused the death of a 54-year-old driver near Denzerheide in Rhineland-Palatinate.
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In Rheingau-Taunus district in the west of Hesse, 100 people were evacuated from their vehicles near Eltville-Martinsthal, while 70 people were trapped on the road near Linienbad.
“My urgent appeal: Be sure to stay at home on Tuesday. Please do not go for walks in the forest either: there is an acute danger to life from broken branches and falling trees,” said the district’s administrator in a statement.
The German Meteorological Service (DWD) forecasts snow and sleet again in many federal states today, adding that the weather will persist in the coming days.
– With reporting by AMIR ORUSOV
