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Cold snap kills 71 in Eastern Europe

The death toll from a severe cold spell in Eastern Europe rose to 71 on Thursday

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5 Feb 2012

The death toll from a severe cold spell in Eastern Europe rose to 71 on Thursday, most of them homeless people.

Temperatures dropped to minus 30C in some regions, causing power outages and traffic chaos, prompting authorities to close schools and nurseries.

Ukraine alone reported 43 deaths. The Emergency Situations Ministry said that 28 people were found dead on the streets, eight died in hospitals and seven in their homes. More than 720 others were admitted to hospital with hypothermia and frostbite.

Authorities have deployed more than 1730 heating shelters across the country where the homeless can warm themselves and eat hot food, including boiled potatoes, pork fat (a traditional dish), tea and coffee.

Ukraine's 1+1 channel broadcast footage of a man being treated for frostbite, which had turned his toes completely black.

"I drank and fell asleep on the bench. I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't feel my feet," the unidentified man said.

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