目前中欧和东欧持续的寒流已经导致100多人死亡。有些国家动用了军队来帮助那些被困于大雪中的人们。政府还设立了临时住所帮助无家可归者。

Most of the deaths have occurred in Poland and Ukraine, where sixty-five mainly homeless people have died from exposure over the last week as temperatures have fallen to minus thirty degrees.

In many Ukrainian cities the authorities have erected heated tents with hot tea and food. Outdoor coal braziers have been placed beside bus stops in Polish cities and the police are urging the public to report sightings of people sleeping rough in train stations or allotments so they can be offered beds in shelters.

The extremely cold weather is forecast to continue for the next week. Rising demand for gas has led Ukraine to increase its imports from Russia, and Poland to introduce rationing to some industrial plants, due to fears that stocks will run out.