Freezing weather blamed for deaths, road delays in Poland

WARSAW, Poland – Technicians worked across Poland to restore power to some 180,000 households on Friday as the freezing weather that has gripped the country for a month claimed two more lives.

Police said two homeless men, ages 60 and 65, were found dead at two separate places in northern Poland early Thursday, after overnight temperatures fell below freezing. They said 15 people have frozen to death since Nov. 1, when temperatures started falling.

Road crews also were racing to unblock roads and railway tracks on Friday after heavy snowfall and wind broke power lines and felled trees overnight.

Firefighters also were called to secure torn-off roofs and to help clear roads, Pawel Fratczak, a spokesman for the national chief of Poland’s firefighters, said.

A bout of winter weather hit Poland and some other European countries Thursday and continued into Friday. Forecasts say the snow and cold, typical for the season in Poland, is expected to last for the next few days.

“The snow that came down is wet and there is a lot of it and that makes branches break and fall down, posing a threat to cars and pedestrians,” Fratczak said.

A downed tree blocked the tracks of commuter trains south of Warsaw on Friday morning. Some trains in southern Poland also were delayed by trees and snow blocking the tracks.